Junior's Beer and Wine first opened for business in 1982, the best we can tell, and has always been locally owned and operated. Here's what we know of the history.

Juniors has been an Austin icon since 1982. When I (the current "Junior") moved to Austin in 1984, I asked my friends where to get a keg for a party I was holding. They told me about Juniors on 29th and since that time, I've never purchased a keg anywhere else. Junior's is a funky (weird?) little store with knowledgeable staff and a mess of great beer, just off the drag and across the street from Breed & Co.

Junior had the house at 2829 Salado, just off 29th Street and two blocks west of Guadalupe. Prior to the birth of the Juniors shack, the Junior's property — the back side of the house on 2829 Salado off the alley where Juniors now stands, was a plant nursery.

In 1982, Junior decided to start selling beer and built the current red Juniors shack with his high school friend Robert. Some time in the late 1980s Junior met his demise in less than certain circumstances (the story isn't fully known and rumors still persist). Some of his employees (Pete, Charlie and Mike) purchased the store from the family and ran it until 1989 when John Zamora purchased it.

In 2004, I purchased the store from John and have been running it since. My family has had an entrepreneurial spirit for at least several generations. Both my father and grandfather were entrepreneurs, and besides, I really like beer.

We're considering putting a mural on the outside of the store and are thinking about some other plans. Certainly contact us if you have any ideas, thoughts or questions.