Kevin Sosnoski and Goska’s celebrate 92 years as a Severna Park constant amid a century of change

A tour through the shelves at Goska’s Liquors with Kevin Sosnoski, who with brother Michael took over the landmark business from their father Walter in 1996, is fascinating. The face of Goska’s today, Sosnoski grew up in and around the store. He ably relates his family’s experience with the oldest continuously operating business in Severna Park.

Though currently celebrating its 92nd anniversary, the business is actually older having opened in the 1920’s as a general store operated by the Kleiss family. Brothers Walter and Alex Goska purchased the building in 1930 and established it as Goska Brothers Store selling fresh cut meats, groceries, kerosene, gasoline and feed for farm animals. There was also an icehouse. When Prohibition ended in 1933, the brothers added beer and liquor to their inventory. With help from Walter’s wife Helen, the enterprise flourished and the blue shingled store with the gas pumps in front became a familiar destination for local families.

Situated off Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard, Goska’s maintained a steady flow of customers through the Great Depression and World War II. In 1939, the construction of Ritchie Highway was completed. Goska’s remained popular but increased traffic from the highway onto Rt. 648, which ran directly in front of the store, was so close to the entrance that it posed a danger to customers. Consequently, the entrance was relocated to the side of the building bordered by Leelyn Drive where it remains today.

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Helen Goska’s hard work alongside her husband and brother-in-law through the years contributed greatly to the store’s success. Following husband Walter’s death in 1957, Helen continued to operate the business aided by her sister Eva Schwartz and nephew Walter Sosnoski.

Walter moved his young family to Severna Park and assumed a major role in the business, eventually taking over while simultaneously working in Baltimore as a pharmacist for 25 years.

As mentioned, the store had been carrying a modest amount of beer and liquor along with groceries since 1933. However, in the early and mid 1960’s, modern supermarkets like Pantry Pride, the A&P and Safeway came to Severna Park. That’s when Walter Sosnoski made the decision to switch from carrying deli and food items to strictly carrying beer, wines and spirits.

Walter was also responsible for altering the way the store looked in the mid 1980’s hiring Chisholm Contractors to add siding and trim. Painted red, it assumed the barnlike character that has made it a community icon.

After graduating from college in 1991, Kevin Sosnoski was working at Goska’s full-time, and Mike was there when his job as a firefighter allowed. When Walter stepped down in 1995 and passed away the following year, his sons were already there to take over.

Kevin Sosnoski’s earliest memories of Goska’s are as the bus stop where he, brother Mike and sister Carol waited for the school bus to St. John the Evangelist School each morning.

“It was the three of us and the Barranco children waiting outside the store’s front door each morning which was rather dangerous,” Sosnoski said. “After school, we’d come into the store and say hi to my great aunts. There was a deli case then and sometimes an aunt would be cleaning the slicer.”

“My dad was working with Helen and Eva by that time, splitting his day between being a pharmacist in Baltimore and coming here to the store. Seven days a week he’d come home around 3 pm and we’d have dinner. Then he’d take a nap before heading to the store to check on his aunts, do whatever was needed and close up at 8 pm.”

Sosnoski considers Goska Liquors stability and longevity amazing but says it’s no accident. He credits the good customer service provided by Goska’s staff from the moment Alex and Walter Goska opened their doors 92 years ago.

“Our staff members are great, and most have been with us a long time,” he said. “We’ve had very little turnover.”

In addition, his entire family has been involved with the business in one way or another. Along with his father Walter, his mother Emilie worked in the store. His sister Carol worked there for a period, and his brother Mike, a full-time firefighter, worked there too putting in more or less the same hours as their dad. Even Mike’s wife Debbie, who is also a firefighter, worked in the store when needed.

Walking through Goska’s, Kevin Sosnoski takes pride in pointing out framed family photographs from the early days of the business (many of which can be seen on the store’s website at Goska’s Liquors – History (goskas.com). He loves it when older customers come in and tell him stories about the store or his dad.

Sosnoski really likes the layout of what he describes as the store’s shabby chic interior but has fond memories of what was where during earlier times. Moving into an alcove now deemed the Liquor Room where spirits are displayed, he notes that it is the former kitchen where the deli counter was located. An interesting touch in the Liquor Room is the Jack Daniels display which features a miniature figure of the brewery’s founder.

Goska’s also carries bottles of Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey. Nathan “Nearest” Green was the nation’s first African American master distiller. A former slave, Uncle Nearest taught a poverty-stricken but eager-to-learn young white boy everything he knew about distilling. That young boy was Jack Daniels.

A popular product found on the shelves of the Liquor Room is “Moonshine” which is now legal but is reminiscent of the 1920’s and early ’30’s when the business operated as a general store and Prohibition was in full flower. It is not known whether the Kleiss family or Goska brothers would have considered carrying such a product but it’s fun to have it on the shelves.

Entering the wine section of the store (formerly a dining area) Sosnowski pointed out two openings along the wall that held the store’s entrance and display window.

Wines and domestic and craft beers (of which there is an ever-changing variety) are a mainstay of the business. Sosnoski carries a broad range of varietals but he’s particularly strong on promoting wines from Maryland vineyards which he finds sell quite well.

He notes that the most profitable time for sales of wines and spirits is in the fall and winter, particularly during the holidays.

Cigar smoking may not be quite as popular as it was a few years ago but Goska’s still maintains its glass-enclosed humidor. It’s another product that distinguishes the store.

Customers come by almost any time of the day. A recent sunny afternoon found regular customer Alex Craddock wandering in to buy some brews and a package of Slim Jims.

” I can’t make up my mind whether to go fishing or ride my motorcycle,” Craddock said.

According to staffer Ryan Yesner who was working the counter, being located near the Magothy River means it’s not unusual for a customer to come in mid-afternoon, buy a few items and chat for a few minutes before heading for their boat.

Nor is it unusual for a customer to dash in, pick something up, and dash back out as people are running on such tight schedules these days.

“Things have changed drastically as growth has mushroomed all around us with new businesses everywhere,” Sosnoski said. “Between Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, and people driving by here to get off Ritchie Highway, the volume of traffic is unbelievable. Hearing horns honking and people upset is an everyday occurrence 24-7.”

He noted that, like other retail establishments, Goska’s experienced highs and lows as COVID cases and restrictions ebbed and flowed. During the first year of the pandemic, sales increased substantially since all the restaurants that sold spirits were closed. The store gained some new customers during that period, but the volume of business declined once restaurants reopened.

“We’ve seen a number of shifts in the retail scene lately, especially at the supermarkets,” Sosnoski said. “Who knows, we may reopen the deli counter at some point. Meantime, we’ll maintain our high level of customer service and continue to reach out to the community.”

Goska’s has always been active in the community supporting various charities or appearing at occasions like the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber’s annual Holiday Taste & Sip Events. They hope to remain a source of stability for local customers for years to come.

Good Neighbors Group S(o)UPER BOWL a Winner

Julie Shay, Executive Director of Good Neighbors Group announced that the organization’s fifth annual S(o)UPER BOWL was a success. Neighborhood captains and volunteers collected 15,907 items from 51 neighborhoods for four now overflowing food pantries including the Annapolis Food Bank, SPAN, Inc., ACAN, and My Brother’s Pantry.

This year’s Per House Winner is Erin Garth, a 15 House winner with 10.67 items collected per house. The Neighborhood By Volume winner was West Severna Park with 935 items collected.

Shay and GNG’s board of directors wish to thank all of the neighborhoods that came together as well as the captains who pulled the drive off. For more information on Good Neighbors Group’s good works visit Home – Good Neighbors Group.