Keg N Bottle, a San Diego–based beer, wine, and spirits retailer, has succeeded Champions Liquor in a refreshed space in University Towers. It’s the family-owned chain’s first Michigan store and fourteenth overall, according to third-generation CEO Anthony Konja.
“The guy that was there before was posting that he was selling his store, so then I talked to him,” Konja explains. “We couldn’t get a deal done between us, but then the landlord told us that the lease was expiring, so we worked with them.” The liquor license was acquired from a closed Rite Aid.
The store carries over 3,000 different products, using library-style ladders for access to the higher shelves.
“Obviously, Ann Arbor is a great area, so we don’t want it to just be a destination for students. We want it to be a destination for the whole city,” he says.
Konja adds that Keg N Bottle has increased sales at previous locations they’ve acquired in southern California and Chicago despite a downturn in the alcohol industry, which he attributes in part to more competition from legalized cannabis.
“I want to get over the twenty-five location mark by the end of 2027,” he says. “That’s my goal. We’ll see if we get there.”
Keg N Bottle, 1227 South University. Mon.–Thurs. 10 a.m.–midnight, Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.–2 a.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–midnight. kegnbottle.com
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