Meng Hong Srun, owner of Sunrise Liquors Store, was the first Cambodian liquor store owner in Frederick. (Photo by Shannon Lee Zirkle)January 05, 2008
By Ike Wilson
The Frederick News-Post Staff (Maryland, USA)
Meng Hong Srun's 27 years in the retail industry has consisted of 15-hour days and seven-day, 80-hour weeks.
With callouses on his feet and recurring ankle pains from standing, the Cambodian native, who owns two liquor stores in Frederick, is ready to retire.
But that is at least five years away, when his 17-year-old gets the medical training she wants, he said. One of two sons is finishing his opthamalogy residency in Florida; another is completing a MBA in Iowa.
They are children to make a parent proud.
"I don't smoke and drink even though I sell liquor and cigarettes and they don't either," Srun said. "They are cool kids. They are focused on doing the right thing."
Srun worked in a beer and wine store in the District of Columbia for 10 years before moving to Frederick, April 19, 1990. He and business partner Samrith AnChum, bought Waverly Beer and Wine store on Waverly Drive.
They were the first Cambodians to open a beer and wine store in Frederick, Srun said. Today, Cambodian natives own about 15 to 20 liquor stores in the area, he said.
After Srun's partner died in 2003, business grew as the Frederick population increased, making it possible for another acquisition -- Sunrise Liquor on South Jefferson Street.
There, sales have increased 6 percent a year over the last three years.
Srun said he's looking forward to retirement. He hopes for a less stressful job helping people buy eyeglass lenses in his son's eye clinic.
"I won't have to hear people use bad words. I won't have to hear words I don't use, or deal with bad customers," he said.
And he'll avoid another downside in the retail business -- dealing with theft.
A husband and wife stole a lot of cigarettes from his store. Instead of calling the police, Srun said he pulled them aside and gently asked the couple to stop stealing his merchandise.
"They were surprised that I saw them and didn't call the police," he said.
His employees have been robbed at gunpoint, Srun said. Good workers have been hard to find.
Customers have been nice for the most part, until about four or five years ago when his Waverly store began to attract troublemakers. "That's the drug dealers in the area," Srun said.
High risk, long hours and stress are why Srun doesn't want his children to do the same kind of work, he said.
He took off three hours Thursday to have dinner with his son before he left for Florida. When he returned, Srun said an employee had received merchandise that the store didn't need and a box of liquor had gone missing.
"In this business, you have to be present all the time," Srun said. "If I had been present, I would have known that the store didn't need the items. Now, I have to call the vendor to return them."
A long way from home
Srun came to the United States from an area in Cambodia, 20 miles from South Vietnam on Aug. 28, 1980.
"I came to this country with no money, I came with nothing," he said.
His early jobs included cleaning homes and roof tops and raking leaves in a church yard.
"I told my kids they're lucky," Srun said.
"They have a nice place to stay. They have cars."
Srun's move from the District of Columbia northward was a no-brainer, considering Frederick's close proximity to the Washington-metropolitan area, which made growth inevitable, and the city's low rent, he said.
With a family and rent to pay, Srun said he had only $20,000 to start his business.
He has not personally sold liquor or cigarettes to a minor in 27 years, Srun said.
A June 28, 2007, letter from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene applauds Srun for refusing to sell cigarettes to a minor following an undercover visit by employees of the department's Division of Quality Assurance Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
"I work hard to support my kids, so they have a better life," Srun said. "This country allows the kids to have good opportunities."
Retirement for Srun will also include visits to his native land, where he intends to soak up some tropical temperatures, he said.
With callouses on his feet and recurring ankle pains from standing, the Cambodian native, who owns two liquor stores in Frederick, is ready to retire.
But that is at least five years away, when his 17-year-old gets the medical training she wants, he said. One of two sons is finishing his opthamalogy residency in Florida; another is completing a MBA in Iowa.
They are children to make a parent proud.
"I don't smoke and drink even though I sell liquor and cigarettes and they don't either," Srun said. "They are cool kids. They are focused on doing the right thing."
Srun worked in a beer and wine store in the District of Columbia for 10 years before moving to Frederick, April 19, 1990. He and business partner Samrith AnChum, bought Waverly Beer and Wine store on Waverly Drive.
They were the first Cambodians to open a beer and wine store in Frederick, Srun said. Today, Cambodian natives own about 15 to 20 liquor stores in the area, he said.
After Srun's partner died in 2003, business grew as the Frederick population increased, making it possible for another acquisition -- Sunrise Liquor on South Jefferson Street.
There, sales have increased 6 percent a year over the last three years.
Srun said he's looking forward to retirement. He hopes for a less stressful job helping people buy eyeglass lenses in his son's eye clinic.
"I won't have to hear people use bad words. I won't have to hear words I don't use, or deal with bad customers," he said.
And he'll avoid another downside in the retail business -- dealing with theft.
A husband and wife stole a lot of cigarettes from his store. Instead of calling the police, Srun said he pulled them aside and gently asked the couple to stop stealing his merchandise.
"They were surprised that I saw them and didn't call the police," he said.
His employees have been robbed at gunpoint, Srun said. Good workers have been hard to find.
Customers have been nice for the most part, until about four or five years ago when his Waverly store began to attract troublemakers. "That's the drug dealers in the area," Srun said.
High risk, long hours and stress are why Srun doesn't want his children to do the same kind of work, he said.
He took off three hours Thursday to have dinner with his son before he left for Florida. When he returned, Srun said an employee had received merchandise that the store didn't need and a box of liquor had gone missing.
"In this business, you have to be present all the time," Srun said. "If I had been present, I would have known that the store didn't need the items. Now, I have to call the vendor to return them."
A long way from home
Srun came to the United States from an area in Cambodia, 20 miles from South Vietnam on Aug. 28, 1980.
"I came to this country with no money, I came with nothing," he said.
His early jobs included cleaning homes and roof tops and raking leaves in a church yard.
"I told my kids they're lucky," Srun said.
"They have a nice place to stay. They have cars."
Srun's move from the District of Columbia northward was a no-brainer, considering Frederick's close proximity to the Washington-metropolitan area, which made growth inevitable, and the city's low rent, he said.
With a family and rent to pay, Srun said he had only $20,000 to start his business.
He has not personally sold liquor or cigarettes to a minor in 27 years, Srun said.
A June 28, 2007, letter from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene applauds Srun for refusing to sell cigarettes to a minor following an undercover visit by employees of the department's Division of Quality Assurance Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
"I work hard to support my kids, so they have a better life," Srun said. "This country allows the kids to have good opportunities."
Retirement for Srun will also include visits to his native land, where he intends to soak up some tropical temperatures, he said.
9 comments:
This is called a land of opportunity; in fact, the opportunity does not come to look for you, yet instead, you need to make every effort to take advantage of the opportunity (that offered to a person like Mr. Meng Hong Srun) to realize the real American dream.
Mr. Meng, your retirement is well deserved. Have a good retirement.
Khmer forever! Yuon out of Cambodia!
This is called a land of opportunity; in fact, the opportunity does not come to look for you, yet instead, you need to make every effort to take advantage of the opportunity (that offered to a person like Mr. Meng Hong Srun) to realize the real American dream.
Mr. Meng, your retirement is well deserved. Have a good retirement.
Khmer forever! Yuon out of Cambodia!
Sorry for the duplicated posted comment.
Khmer forever! Yuon out of Cambodia!
I was surprised after I had finished watching this below video. I just learn that our beloved ancestors came from Africa and the bas-relief at Angkor Wat and Bayon temple are representing African slaves. Please go the link below so that you will know what I am talking about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMx9fkfJuZw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyauFRo5QVo&feature=related
In regarding to 4:47 post, do you believe everything you read and see? Try to think, not everything you read and see are truth.
To 4:47AM,4:55AM
No offense to say that everything the Asian people have been originated from Africa or African is pure stupidity beyond reason! Asian people have God given brain power and they can think and can reason and can do great thing too!
According to human evolution theory that it is speculated that human being were first started in Africa but then the human family tree branch out to other part of the world such as to Asia and to Europe!
Even now the human evolution is still in progress! It is very misleading to proclaim that when something has similar feature or characteristic and it came from the same source!
We are living in a high tech modern time and the DNA testing can clarify any misunderstanding regarding where people were first originated!
For African people to proclaim that when something have curly , dark skin and broad nose or flat nose and it must be African! This is untrue!
For example Southern Indian people have some of the darkest skin color with straight hair with hairy body and pointed nose. And how is that possible? I used to think that only European people can have light skin with hairy body and pointed nose because of the colder climate which help protect their body from subzero temperature!
I don't believe for a moment that all Khmer people have dark skin and broad or flat nose! Khmer people are more diverse than the African people in term of skin color and facial feature! There are Indian, Chinese, and European skin colors! Most stupid people like to use an example of dark skin Cambodian farmer for everything especially dealing with something that is very backward to make their point but at the same these same people forget that when brown skin or even light skin color people worked on the farm with naked body for 20 to 30 years and the UV radiation, the mud, and dirt can cause serious damage to the skin color by turning it dark brown to protect epidermis from the Sun UV radiation and extreme weather!
By the way Khmer art derived from the Indian and the Indian art derived from the Roman!
Roman art with curly hair!
http://www.antiquainc.com/14a020x.html
Indian art with curly hair!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Buddhist_art
http://chdmuseum.nic.in/art_gallery/kushana_sculpture.html
Khmer art with curly hair!
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Sacred_Angkor4.htm
Khmer people have enough God given intelligence to create their own culture, language, and history and they don’t need to depend on anybody!
Don't blame African American for trying to make the name for themselves please?
Sucessful in business is one thing, selling liquor is another.
American like everyone else had value & principle. It's a free country and you can do what you want, but how you choose what you're going to do is still pretty much on you.
There is a story of a Korean Liquor's Store owner who sent their kids to college based on getting someone else drunk. Hey! If you can live with it. Some people can not and won't do it.
-LIKE MAKING GUNS AND SELLING GUNS RIGHT.
-KILLING ANIMALS AND SELLING TO PEOPLE RIGHT.
-MAKING KNIFE AND GETTING PEOPLE STAB RIGHT.
- SELLING HOUSEHOLD CLEANING PRODUCTS AND PEOPLE DRINK TO KILL THEMSELVE, RIGHT.
-SELLING FAST FOOD WITH HIGH CALORIES, ND MAKING PEOPLE FAT AND GET ALL MEDICAL PROBLEMS, RIGHT.
-MAKING MEDICATIONS AND PEOPLE DIE FROM TAKING OVERDOSE MEDS, RIGHT.
-SELLING ROPE AND LEADING PEOPLE TO HANG THEMSELVE, RIGHT.
-SELLING CARS AND PEOLE GET INTO ACCIDENT, RIGHT.
PEOPLE WHO USE THESE PRODUCTS ARE THE ONE WHO ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE TO USE PROPERLY. 4 OUNCE CUP OF WINE A DAY KEEP DOCTOR AWAY. TOO MUCH THAT IS A PROBLEM. DRIVING A CAR CAREFULLY, SAVE YOUR LIFE. A KNIFE USE TO MAKE FOOD NOT TO STAB PEOPLE. A ROPE FOR TIE THINGS NOT TO KILL OR COMMIT SUICIDE, SO FORTH....
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