Holly’s Package Store Celebrates 45 Years in Greentown
Richard Lacy takes his time when he answers questions about Holly’s Package Store, the Greentown liquor store that just celebrated 45 years in business. His responses are genuine and he has an easy laugh, just like someone you’d imagine who runs a business that “has a great vibe,” according to a recent Google review.
Opened since October 1980, Lacy wants to make sure the community knows the family-owned business is more than “just a liquor store.”
Lacy’s connection to the store goes back to childhood. He grew up just across the parking lot, where he shot his first basketball and watched his dad run the shop that was then owned by his great uncle. great-uncle run the shop. When his father became ill, he stepped in part time while working in insurance, joining his mother at the store. Over time he found himself drawn more deeply into the business, eventually discovering that the store wasn’t just a job, but a place where he could carry forward something meaningful.
“We’re a small business that happens to be a liquor store,” he says. “We treat everyone with genuineness and kindness, no matter who it is that walks in our door…I hope everyone knows that, and knows they can come in here for whatever they need or just conversation, if they need that.”
That kind of connection still matters in a small town like Greentown. Lacy says in bigger cities, it’s easy to walk into a store and never hear a hello. At Holly’s, regulars are greeted by name and newcomers often leave feeling like they’ve made a new friend. The familiar exchanges — maybe it’s a story shared or a laugh at the counter — have become part of the store’s personality.
“We don’t try to imitate corporate chains or reinvent ourselves, he says. “We stick to what our family has always done, and that’s to be a welcoming place for the Greentown community and beyond. I feel like we have an opportunity to not only bring great bottles to the store, but bring people to the store from other areas so it creates opportunities for other small businesses in our town.”
Lacy hopes doing things the right way honors his father’s legacy. Gary Lacy ran the store for nearly 42 years before his death in 2023. He was a quiet but known fixture in the community and preferred to keep the spotlight off himself — while the younger Lacy is the face of the store’s social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
“My dad was pretty old-school,” Lacy says. “But we know to be successful — to continue being successful — that we have to adapt. Dad would have thought social media was too modern, but I think it’s important to show the community what Holly’s is really about, and that’s building connections.”
Lacy says his family has always put thought into nearly everything they offer, especially when it comes to special barrel picks or small-batch blends — he always brings customers into that process.
“I don’t just pick it myself,” he says. “We take our customers with us, and I rely on them because they are the ones that help keep our business successful.”
Lacy’s father only drank on special occasions and Rich has followed suit, asking his customers for their feedback on specific liquors before the store decides to carry something new.
Some might think that owning a liquor store but rarely drinking seems counterintuitive — but Lacy says it’s OK to be different.
“I hope everyone knows that,” he says. “It’s OK to be different, to be you, to be original, and we hope we meet you soon at Holly’s.”
Holly’s Package Store is located at 119 W. Main St. in Greentown. You can reach the store at 765-628-2712 or find them on social media at @HollysPackageStore.
