New warehouse liquor store opens for restaurants, bars, grocers

There’s a new liquor store in town, but it’s only open to a select group of customers.

Southern Glazer’s Wine, Beer & Spirits of Nevada held a grand opening Thursday afternoon for its 12,000-square-foot warehouse store on South Jones Boulevard. The location marks an expansion for the alcohol distributor, which previously only operated one warehouse store in the Reno area, according to Southern Glazer’s Executive Vice President and General Manager John Landry.

The new store caters exclusively to customers with a retail liquor license such as restaurants, grocery stores, bars and clubs and even allows for clients to pick up single bottles in a pinch.

“It’s just another way for our customers to get product,” Troy Tellvik, senior director of operational effectiveness, said. “Say, Friday afternoon, the restaurant runs out of a bottle of tequila — kind of an urgent need — they can come on down and grab the bottle that they need, make the purchase and be on their way.”

Since Southern Glazer’s is an alcohol distribution company, state law does not allow it to sell directly to general consumers, according to Tellvik.

He noted businesses can purchase individual bottles of alcohol, and the products will be priced wholesale, or the same price as if a license holder ordered alcohol through the company’s warehouse. It’s an offering that could help lift sales for smaller companies.

“The smaller independents could find the store more beneficial. They’re the ones that are perhaps tighter on their budgets, and they don’t want a case of something. They just want a bottle. It’s a little easier for them,” Tellvik said.

But one major player in Nevada’s alcohol industry was intrigued by the new liquor store.

Nami Lee, CEO of Lee’s Discount Liquor, was at the new location and said there is no comparative business in the area that only sells to license holders. She thinks the warehouse store will offer “huge” benefits for Lee’s nearby locations and other businesses in the area.

“I think this can be a win-win since it provides a more convenient option for (Lee’s) and helps get products to consumers,” Lee said.

The alcohol industry is sizable in Nevada and usually brings in $48.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the 2021 fiscal year report from the Nevada Department of Taxation.

Contact Sean Hemmersmeier at shemmersmeier@reviewjournal.com. Follow @seanhemmers34 on Twitter.