At Bottlecapps, we drink TOGETHER.

As a retail or brand partner, we consider your relationship to be personal. We strive to get to know you and your business in the same way that you might do with your pal at the neighborhood bar. Below is a business partner we hope to be ‘drinking with’ for many years to come!

SPEC'S  WINE SPIRITS & FINER FOODS

How could we not give some love to the one and only Spec’s on their 60th Anniversary of business? Not only are they one of the best business partners on the planet, with one of the best entrepreneurial success stories anywhere, they are also incredibly kind and philanthropic human beings. Today, we offer a toast and a warm congratulations to the Rydman family for six incredible decades in the books. Cheers to 60 more! 🥂 The Symphony of Spec's

Carroll “Spec” Jackson opened the first store in 1962 and since then, three generations have carried the torch for the family. To really understand how the Jackson/Rydman family got to this point, let’s go back to the beginning. What started as a tiny family business in Houston, Texas, has now become one of the most respected and largest liquor store chains in the world, much less Texas . . . but how did they get here?

Like so many of the stores in the Bottlecapps’ family, Spec Jackson got tired of working for someone else and dreamed of becoming his own boss. With a small budget (even in those days), Jackson and his wife, Carolynn, opened a little store in the heart of Houston with a very limited selection of alcohol. 

By the early 70’s, local demand for more and more products had led not only to a significant expansion of product selections, but a major expansion of the acumen and knowledge of those products. So many customers had so many questions about so many wines from so many regions that, well, you get the idea. There was clearly so much to learn. 

And Spec Jackson did just that. He became the de facto expert in his community and the store’s reputation grew stronger. Spec Jackson’s famous saying, “you are my only customer,” really resonated with people. 

While Jackson became an industry leader, of sorts, in the wine world, he certainly didn’t stop there. When customers’ demand exceeded his small store’s capacity, he listened again. He used customer feedback to directly influence the growth of Spec’s and added more stores along the way in desired areas. Fast forward to the late 1980’s, and once again, the feedback of the customer led to another breakthrough - the deli! With all the expertise gained through the years, adding foods that paired well with the now substantial selection of products just made sense. 

In early 2020, the next breakthrough happened. This is a family that continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible, and when the time came for Spec’s to find a partner in the eCommerce space, we at Bottlecapps were beyond humbled and honored to help. As customer trends were clearly showing movement towards buying alcohol online, the Rydman family made the decision to bring their nearly 200 stores from all over Texas into the mobile age. Spec’s app had officially launched to the masses! 

What happened next was, shall we say, “Spec-tacular?” Overused pun aside, more folks began to download the Spec’s app than we had ever seen before. So many people wanted the Spec’s app that Bottlecapps literally had to upgrade the servers to keep up. Two years later, there are no signs of slowing down.

We couldn’t be more proud of the partnership we have with Spec’s, and while we don’t know if Bottlecapps will last another 60 years, we have no doubt that Spec’s will. Rumor has it that the Rydman family already has their eye on a nice plot of land on Mars 🚀