Cambodian native a retail pioneer in Frederick

Meng Hong Srun, owner of Sunrise Liquors Store, was the first Cambodian liquor store owner in Frederick.

January 05, 2008
By Ike Wilson
News-Post Staff

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 anoother 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.