Condolences to the family and friends of Salim Yousif ‘‘Sam’’ Hanna, the owner of Gilbert Convenience Mart and an early supporter of the Valley’s nascent craft beer scene, who passed away Saturday at age 72 after complications from covid-19.
Hanna took over a former Circle K store on Gilbert Road just north of Elliot in 1994 and transformed it into GCM, eventually dedicating nearly all the shelf and cooler space to craft beers, wines, and spirits.
GCM, now known as GCM Liquor, was one the Valley’s pioneering neighborhood bottle shops, offering beer lovers a friendly, locally owned alternative to the big box chains and large liquor stores.
In its narrow, often-congested aisles stocked by Sam and his sons Chris and Mike, beer enthusiasts could find new and hard-to-find ales and lagers from breweries throughout Arizona and around the country.
In 2018, Hanna built a 4,500-square-foot building next to GCM and opened Hundred North, a Mediterranean-influenced restaurant and bar, on the ground floor. Hundred North offers 30 craft beers on tap and more than 600 whiskeys.
A noted animal lover, Hanna is survived by his wife, Noual, seven children, and 10 dogs. Funeral arrangements are pending.
