In Hokus Pokus Liquors, founded in Alexandria by Simon (“Si”) Sherman, Gus’ grandfather, was

conjured up from another man’s dream. Si, who worked for Schenley Co. Distillers in the 1930s,
dreamed of becoming a distillery president and owning a fine wine shop as a hobby. While at a company
meeting in New Orleans, Si shared his dream with a company executive. In turn, the executive shared his
wish: to open a store called Hokus Pokus Liquors, The House of Many Spirits.
Not long after, Si was offered the opportunity to be a partner in a liquor store in Alexandria. The
partnership did not last long because Si had aspirations of owning his own store. He did, however,
decide to stay in town. Although not his dream and never his plan, just a few months later he opened
Hokus Pokus Liquors, The House of Many Spirits. When Si saw the Shenley executive who gave him the
idea a few years later, he asked him if he recalled their conversation. The executive did not. During his
tenure Si became “grandfathered” by the state to be both a retailer and a wholesaler. Si was also a
founding member of the WSGA (Wine and Spirts Guild of America)
Steve Sherman grew up around his father’s liquor business, but after serving in the Navy and
graduating from New Orleans’ Tulane University in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in business, he moved
to Little Rock, Arkansas where he worked in the shoe business. But the alcoholic beverage bug had
already bitten him-especially after spending a summer month in 1962 working at France’s Chateau
Lascombes, where he was involved in all aspects of winemaking. It didn’t take a magic wand to make
him reappear in 1976, ready to help his father in the business. Si retired in 1982 and Steve and his wife
Lillian took over.
Gus Olah, too, grew up in the liquor business-as Steve Sherman’s stepson. Working at the store
during high school, he learned the business from the bottom up. In 1994, he joined the company full
time. In 1998, he graduated from Louisiana College in Pineville with a bachelor’s degree in accounting,
which he utilizes every day in the business. Olah was responsible for computerizing the operation in
1996. Gus also was responsible for separating the wholesale side of the business into a completely
separately run entity and renamed it Mystic Vine in December of 2008. Mystic Vine is now located in
New Orleans Louisiana and operates state wide.
Since its beginning in 1940, Hokus Pokus Liquors has had a number of manifestations,
expanding and contracting from one store to five and back again, and then to two, finally reaching
today’s permutation of three stores- one in Alexandria, one in Lake Charles, and one in Prairieville.
 During Gus third generation tenure, he modernized the retail shopping experience. Closing all
the older locations he opened in new locations with a more modern vision for Hokus Pokus.
Alexandria – Opened the new location of 4800sf in February of 2005 where the business operates today.
Lake Charles – Opened the new location of 7500sf in September of 2008 and is where the business
operates today.
Prairieville – Expanded into this new market in a lease location of 3600sf in July of 2013. Moved to our
new building of 9100sf in May of 2019

Gus continues to operate as President of the Company to this date as a third-generation owner in 2023
and was named a Market Watch Leader in 2002.

Generation 4
Elizabeth Olah entered the business in 2020 after receiving her Masters degree in business from LSU.
She is the fourth generation of this multi-generation family business and brings a wealth of new ideas
and education to the organization. Her current title is Region Manager. Her sister Isabella Olah is
currently finishing her Marketing degree at Loyola University of New Orleans and will be a part of the
fourth generation to continue the family legacy of Hokus Pokus Liquors.

Famous Ghost Sign

Our original Ghost sign in Alexandria was created by The Caig Sign Company is certainly a sight to see
and has even been referenced in the film “Devine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood. In the film that was
centered in the Alexandria area, it was called Abra-Cadabra Liquors! Also in one of Huey P Longs books
the sign was mentioned as one of the great sites to see in Alexandria.