At the Shell gas station on the triangular lot in Miami’s MiMo neighborhood, the six yellow-and-red pumps aren’t noteworthy, nor are the gas prices particularly competitive. But inside the convenience mart, four cramped aisles and a perimeter of reach-in refrigerators display more than 500 beers and the same quantity of wine, while four shelves are dedicated to sake alone.
“A lot of people who live around here don’t know what we have,” says Mike Milaji, manager of the Biscayne 54 Shell. “They say, ‘I didn’t know a gas station cared that much.’”
Indeed, Milaji cares. A sign near the store’s latest acquisitions reads, “BEER & WINE LOVERS: IF YOU DON’T SEE WHAT YOU WANT, ASK AND WE WILL ORDER THAT SPECIAL BEER OR WINE. WE AIM TO PLEASE — WE LOVE YOU!”
Though Milaji doesn’t claim to be a craft beer aficionado or a wine connoisseur, his assortment rivals the offerings of the trendy restaurants and bars that make this strip of Biscayne Boulevard regularly top the city’s can’t-miss lists. He sells beers from across the country as well as overseas. Milaji also stocks the latest releases from local breweries like Miami Brewing Company, Veza Sur Brewing Co., and Tripping Animals Brewing Co.
Milaji emigrated to Miami from Syria 28 years ago. He started running the store four years ago after the former owner, Carrie Robinson, a family friend, passed away. According to Milaji, the extensive beer and wine selection was Robinson’s brainchild; a laminated photo of the ruddy-cheeked man is posted above the check-out counter in his honor.
Milaji has since turned it into a family business, hiring his uncles, cousins, and nephews. He set out to further Robinson’s legacy, increasing sales by more than 35%, and credits his success with the store’s sweeping supply and friendly price point. Whereas other smaller, specialty stores might jack up prices by 40 or 50%, Milaji says, he’s only seeking a 20 to 25% per-item profit. To stay competitive, he regularly checks prices against Total Wine & Liquor. He now orders 250 cases of beer every week from at least 10 distributors.
“Whenever you have price, location, and customer service … you will have success,” Milaji says.
Some customers stop in weekly for gas and cigarettes without ever perusing the aisles. But other regulars brave more than an hour in Miami traffic to stock their suburban parties with the most eclectic beverages, easily spending $400 each weekend. There is one man, Milaji says, who comes in every day for a single beer.
Following the supply chain chaos in the pandemic, a famous footballer once turned up at the store desperate for four cases of Moët for his pool party. Milaji didn’t even blink and happily wheeled out the elusive bubbly to his car.
“Nowhere else had it. We were the only ones,” Milaji says with a smile. “The word is spreading.”
Words by Jess Swanson