KALAMAZOO — When Mike Gruizinga takes a reprieve from his mechanical engineering studies, he enjoys cooking for his roommates — stir fry-dishes, chicken curry and Greek dishes are among the favored cuisine.
But the 21-year-old Western Michigan University senior is fussy about his ingredients.
“This olive oil tastes better than anything I’ve found in a grocery store,” he said while filling a glass bottle with a Lebanese variety found at Tiffany’s Wine & Spirit Shoppe in Kalamazoo. “It’s fresher, sweeter and stronger. I use it with garlic bread, too.”
An employee of the specialty liquor, wine, beer and food shop then helped Gruizinga find a six-pack of white Belgian beer to accompany the night’s menu.
Tiffany’s was a dream that came to fruition for brothers Habib Mandwee, 49, and Saad Mandwee, 51, originally from Iraq, when they opened the store in 1981.
“It was a big risk, and it took guts,” said Habib, of his unique shop now known as much for stellar service as its extensive wine selection. “But people are so nice here — that made it easy. If you work hard to give your customers good service, they reward you.”
It appears that they have.
Habib and Saad began with a tiny party store 27 years ago. Today’s Tiffany’s Wine & Spirit Shoppe is a 6,000-square-foot specialty store with 10,000 wines in stock, more than 1,000 beers to choose from, numerous varieties of liquors and a walk-in humidor stocked with cigars from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
An impressive array of gourmet food sets Tiffany’s apart from a typical party store. Fine cheeses are imported from Holland, Spain, France, Italy, England and Greece, and, for the choosiest of confectionary connoisseurs, more than 60 types of gourmet chocolates.
Tiffany's Wine & Spirit Shoppe
What
: A specialty liquor, wine, beer and food store.
Where
: 1714 W. Main St. in Kalamazoo.
Contact
: 269-381-1414;
.
The shop has a deli that sells dishes such as curried Tofu and Tuscan Bean salad.
Business has continued to thrive at Tiffany’s, weathering the economic storm of the past few years.
“People never stop eating,” Habib explained. “They cut back on travel. They entertain at home instead of going out as much. But not without specialty food and wine and something different to cook at home.”