By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
The name Boulevard Super Liquors is no mere marketing hype.
This colossal liquor store owned by the Beyel family for four generations contains 18,000 square feet of space overall. It includes a refrigerated walk-in wine cellar with a capacity of nearly 10,000 bottles of wine and champagne from around the world and one of the largest selections of beer, seltzers and other alcoholic beverages on the East Coast.
Painted a distinctive bright yellow with big, red letters with the store name on it, the business is ideally located between Exit 25 of the Garden State Parkway in Marmora and the 34th Street entryway into Ocean City, one of the Jersey Shore’s most popular vacation destinations.
“My father decided that he wanted the store to be located between the Garden State Parkway and Ocean City,” said Dave Beyel Sr., 73, the third generation of the family to own the business.
It was 1953 when Dave Beyel Sr.’s father, Sam Beyel, and his grandmother, Sarah Beyel, moved the business from the original spot at the intersection of Roosevelt Boulevard and Lyndhurst Road in Marmora to the current location.
Sarah, known as “Sadie,” was the first generation and Sam was the second in the family business. Super Liquors started in its original location in 1938, just five years after Prohibition ended.
Now, the 35-year-old Dave Beyel Jr., representing the fourth generation, has entered the picture to oversee Super Liquors’ newly completed facelift that includes an array of improvements that customers are bound to enjoy.
A Who’s Who of local, county and state politicians joined with Dave Sr., his wife, Sandy, Dave Jr. and the Super Liquors employees on Friday for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to celebrate the renovation project.
Dave Sr. used an oversized pair of scissors to snip the ribbon. He made special mention of the contributions his employees have made to the business.
“It’s been a lot of years, a lot of journeys,” he told the crowd.
The delegation of dignitaries included state Assemblyman Antwan McClellan, Cape May County Commissioners Leonard Desiderio, E. Marie Hayes and Jeff Pierson, Upper Township Mayor Jay Newman and Ocean City Councilman Bob Barr.
Speakers repeatedly thanked the Beyels for their philanthropy, their community support, the jobs they have provided and their friendship.
“You’re always giving. You’re just a pillar of the community,” Hayes told the Beyels.
McClellan drew a laugh from the crowd when he even thanked the Beyels for the cookies they have baked for him.
“This has been a great family business since 1938,” Pierson said.
Pierson, who lives in Upper Township, noted that three of his grandchildren have worked at Super Liquors, giving his family a personal tie to the business.
Desiderio spoke of the deep friendship between his family and the Beyels.
“The Beyel family is family to me. We have been very, very close over the years,” Desiderio said.
Newman, stressing the contributions the Beyels have made to the local community, said they were instrumental in the development of the now-heavily used Upper Township Community Center. He also praised them for their support of local recreation programs and for being a major employer in the township.
Although Super Liquors is located in the Marmora section of Upper Township, it is a stone’s throw from the 34th Street Bridge entering Ocean City.
“You guys are a great neighbor to us. We’re glad to have you,” said Barr, who represents Ocean City’s Fourth Ward just across the bridge.
Over the years, the first and second generations of the Beyel family expanded the store multiple times, ultimately to its current size with an addition in 1974.
The next step in the store’s evolution includes the newly completed renovation project supervised by Dave Jr. Improvements include new floors, a new ceiling, new paint and new LED lighting for the inside and outside of the building.
Adding a whimsical decorative touch, the store’s makeover also features caricature-style murals of members of the Beyel family having fun at the shore. The murals were designed by Ocean City artist Aaron “Bogy” Bogushefsky.
Super Liquors also has a new logo, a new website and a bigger social media presence as it steps up its digital marketing. There will also be new partnerships with regional breweries for special events at the store, Dave Jr. said.
Sandy Beyel gave much of the credit to her son for the renovation project. During the ribbon-cutting, Dave Jr. gave his mother a warm hug.
“He came in like a whirlwind,” Sandy said of Dave Jr.’s supervision of the renovation. “This guy’s done so much. He’s responsible for changing the store. I’m so proud of him.”
Dave Jr. was brought in to operate the store in late 2022, continuing the line of ownership under the Beyel family to the next generation.
As Dave Jr. proudly stood next to his father and mother during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, it seemed to dawn on him how fortunate he is to be part of a family-owned business dating to 1938.
“Growing up in this community is really special,” he told the crowd as he thanked his family.
Boulevard Super Liquors is located at 501 Roosevelt Boulevard, in Marmora. For more information, call (609) 390-1300 or visit superliquorsnj.com.
