Penrose Rain Boots IPA. Cycle Brewing Tuesday. Hop Butcher Beef Trip’d Hazy Triple IPA.

Your options of craft beer are staggering at Beer Bazaar in Grayslake and draw comparisons to that wide-eyed kid walking into a candy store for the mind-boggling array of sweet treats.

For Nader Kardoush, who owns Beer Bazaar with his wife Samantha, the wide variety of craft beer sold nationwide elevates his retail concept to a unique experience.

“What I love about beer is just the variety. It’s how you can have simple ingredients and what you can do with them,” shared Nader. “There’s just been so much evolution in beer within the last ten years.”

In fact, retail sales of craft beer increased 3% last year and now account for more than 24% of the U.S. beer market, according to the Brewers Association. Beer Bazaar has tapped into the popularity of craft beer by offering customers a space where the footprint of business is equally split between a bottle shop and a taproom. Nader takes great pride in hand-selecting brands that grab the interest of seasoned beer enthusiasts and curious newcomers.

“It’s great being able to curate your favorite beers as well as catering to your customer’s needs,” said Nader with a smile.

An idea brewing

Nader’s life story begins far from the craft beer hubs of the Midwest. He was born in the United Arab Emirates and moved to the U.S. when was 12.

“You won’t find many breweries in the Middle East,” joked Nader.

Nader’s love of craft beer is palpable as his eyes light up when he is asked about his favorite beers. He got into this line of retail, because his father had acquired Tapout Liquors in nearby Hainesville. While helping his father with the business, Nader and his brother, Omar, decided to capitalize on the booming craft beer market.

“We rebranded Tapout Liquors to Beer Bazaar in 2014 to be more of a destination. Craft beer was really becoming a thing at that time,” explained Nader about why they decided to reimagine the store in Hainesville. “The boom was starting, and we were both beer enthusiasts, so we said, ‘Why not? It’s not working out right now. Let’s try something different.’” In 2022, Nader would move Beer Bazaar and open at its current location in the heart of downtown Grayslake.

Getting things brewing

Beer Bazaar is built based on experience, discovery, and flexibility for customers.

“The concept works because we have everything available singled out by bottle, so you can mix and match your own six pack.” said Nader. “Customers can pick out and build their own six pack and try something without committing to an entire four pack or six pack. So, there’s no buyer’s regret. You can literally just try one beer, and if you like it, you come back and buy more. If you don’t, it’s just one beer.”

The moment customers walk in, they’re greeted by a vibrant bar space with a rotation of at least 17 beers on tap, cider, mead, and seltzer. On the retail side, Beer Bazaar sells more than 700 varieties of beer, seltzer, wines, and spirits, any of which can be enjoyed at the Beer Bazaar’s bar for a small fee.

Unlike big-box liquor stores, Beer Bazaar strives to offer boutique service to its customers who browse the shelves filled with unique flavors and names.

“It’s definitely more of a personable experience,” noted Nader. “You get recommendations from our beer tenders, not just a shelf to grab from.

“My typical customers come in and don’t know where to start,” Nader said with confidence. “We help by suggesting beers based on what they’ve enjoyed before.”

What distinguishes Beer Bazaar is its dedication to sourcing unique brews, even if it means that Nader is driving across Chicagoland to purchase unique brands that are not distributed to Grayslake in the far northern suburbs.

“I drive to Mokena (southwest of Chicago) once or twice a month to pick up beer from Brothership Brewing, because my customers love it,” Nader shared. “I do the same with other breweries, like Soundgrowler in Tinley Park. It’s about making customers happy while standing out from the competition. It’s a win-win.”

Supporting local & collaborating with breweries

Nader takes pride in championing Illinois breweries at his store, so customers will find a wide variety of craft beer at Beer Bazaar that is made in Illinois.

“We have one of the best beer scenes in the country, hands down, if not the world,” said Nader with pride. “I’ll put my expertise behind that. You’ll find people who willingly collaborate with a potential competitor. That happens all the time in the beer industry. Breweries working together with a beer idea, or even just retail spaces. That’s cool.

“One of my favorite things about this business is collaborating with breweries,” Nader said with a smile. “Sometimes, I’ll have a beer idea and reach out to a friend, saying, ‘Hey, want to brew this together?’ They’re usually more than willing.”

His latest creation at Beer Bazaar flowed freely from a tap during our visit. Pistachio Rose is a collaboration with Black Lung Brewing Company from nearby Round Lake Beach.

“It is a white stout, which is pretty much a lighter stout. We were basing it off baklava, the Mediterranean dessert,” described Nader. “There are pistachios, rose chocolate almond flavors. It was also brewed with semolina flour for that added flavor of the baklava pastry crust. It was a big hit.”

Adapting to trends & building community

While craft beer remains a significant segment of the Illinois beer market, there is stiff competition from other beverage categories because of changing customers’ preferences.

“Last year, we saw the first time where more breweries in Illinois were closing than opening. So, we just have more options in line with different consumer trends,” noted Nader. “We’re still showing some growth and that is honestly all you can ask for from a small business.

“Consumer tastes are shifting to more seltzers, spirits, and even non-alcoholic options,” Nader observed. “That’s why we’ve diversified. We still have more than 700 beers, but now we carry ciders, meads, and non-alcoholic drinks.”

To attract a strong flow of customers, Beer Bazaar has become a hub of community connection.

“We’ve turned into an event space. We have trivia on Tuesdays, game nights on Wednesdays, vinyl Sundays, bingo on Mondays, and live music,” Nader said. “Every night, I want this to be a destination.

“I think I think Beer Bazaar matters because it is a welcoming space. There have been so many friendships that were started in just the two years of Beer Bazaar being here. Some of our close friends were all just strangers before they came here. Now we have friends that work together and hang out together.”

Small business counts

Nader said he understands that small business is a vital part of the Grayslake economy. He is an Executive Director on the Board of The Grayslake Chamber of Commerce, and helped to organize Sips for Scholarships, which is a beer festival that raises money for student scholarships.

“We constantly collaborate with a lot of different businesses,” explained Nader. “Without small businesses, Grayslake wouldn’t have the character it has today. With the wide variety of brick-and-mortars and boutiques like mine, Grayslake is one of the more unique cities in northern Illinois.”

Nader said he finds great joy at Beer Bazaar, because he can fully immerse himself in his passion for craft beer and share that passion with a community he loves.

“People are bonding and making friends because of us and because of beer,” said Nader with a laugh. “I love it, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”