Our Story

Pearson's is a family-owned business which was established in 1933 when "Doc" Eisenberg bought Pearson's Pharmacy on Wisconsin Avenue. Alcoholic beverages were sold by prescription during Prohibition but soon after that, when alcohol again became legal, liquor sales overtook the small neighborhood pharmacy. So he and his wife, Sarah, opened Pearson's Liquor Annex a few doors down the street.

During the 1940s and '50s, Pearson's became a major force in Washington's liquor market. Creative full-page ads with subjects like, "crime," "old age," "taxes," and "politics" touched even those who never touched a drop. Everyone in Washington knew Pearson's. It became a DC institution and a major wine and spirits destination with many customers traveling many miles and states to visit us.  

Pearson’s has also been a trendsetter while others followed. In the '60s, Pearson's entered the sophisticated world of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and fine German wines. New world California wines were introduced at Pearson's a decade before the wine-drinking public knew they existed.

Throughout the years and of course true today, Pearson’s has always had the privilege of having top-notch staff. Our staff are some of the most knowledgeable consultants anywhere on wines and spirits. This included Pearson's Alumni and former wine consultant David Schildknecht, currently a noted wine critic with Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and to numerous others who went on to become wine journalists or have opened their wine stores.

Not a week goes by that someone will remind us that their grandfather shopped here, that they worked here while going to Georgetown University, that we shipped them a bottle they left behind, or that they got engaged in our parking lot. The story even goes that Harry Truman's bodyguard would buy a pint of Jack Daniels here for the President's weekly poker game.

Welcome to the “World Famous” Pearson’s Wine & Spirits.