Anita Patel, Xpress Wine & Liquor.

Xpress Wine & Liquor
532 West Main Street
Cheshire, CT

Square footage: 3,200

Years in operation: 3 years

By Sara Capozzi

Xpress Wine & Liquor Owner Brijesh Patel took a leap of faith with his career, entering a business he didn’t have direct experience in: the package store industry. He did, however, have experience with customer service, inventory and business management from previously owning a convenience store in downtown Cheshire. Patel first learned about the opportunity to purchase the store through friends at his temple, which led him to purchasing Xpress Wine & Liquor in June 2022.

“We have a lot of family and friends [in the industry],” he said. “Where we go to church at the temple, there are at least 40 liquor store owners there.” Patel became curious about opening up his own store after seeing so many people he knew go into the business and succeed.

When Patel purchased the shop, he converted it into a liquor store, replacing the flooring and adding shelving and coolers. He runs the store with the help of his wife, Anita, and other family members. The small team makes sure to keep the atmosphere positive, which, Patel believes, encourages more shoppers to stop in as they travel down Cheshire’s bustling West Main Street.

Customers, who mostly hail from the neighborhood, often remark that Xpress is much more spacious than it seems from the outside, Patel said. Within its 3,200 square feet of retail space, the team can house a well-rounded assortment of products, which include many high-end selections and the most popular brands in each category.

Shoppers enjoy the store’s plentiful selection and the Patels are happy to take their requests for new products or ones they may not carry. Xpress carries a robust bourbon selection and offers plenty of allocated items for collectors. “We’ve got all kinds of bourbon here: Blanton’s, Eagle Rare, all the good bottles people are looking for we’ve got in stock,” Patel said.

While retailers seem to stay above most of the economic ebb and flow of industry-related impacts and policies, Xpress’ sales tend to stay strong. “When COVID came, they all made good money,” Patel said. “But after COVID, business kept dropping every year and now the tariffs coming will also hurt business because the prices keep going up.” He said he has noticed a drop-off in sales of higher-end spirits and bourbon, as an example, with other friends in the industry thinking that perhaps that and other sales declines are related to the passage of legal marijuana in the state.

Wine is a top seller at the store, with Josh Cellars, Kim Crawford Wines and Gratsi Boxed Wine among its top selling brands, he said. Ready-to-drink is another popular category at Xpress, and guests can easily choose their beer, seltzers and RTDs ice cold in the shop’s walk-in cooler.

Patel uses a Cheshire town Facebook page to promote the business and his client base continues to grow through word of mouth. In-store tastings every Friday and Saturday are a draw for shoppers, which along with regular sales and promotions, keep them happy and coming back.