Johnston Fine Wine & Spirits
2951 Hartford Avenue
Johnston, RI

Square footage: 2,600

Years in operation: 24 years

By Sara Capozzi

Entering its 24th year of business, family-owned Johnston Fine Wine & Spirits continues to serve its loyal customer base with its tailored selection and personalized service.

Owned by cousins Saliba “Sal” Saliba and Gabriel Daiaa, the shop is run daily by Daiaa who has been building relationships with the community since the store opened in October 2001.

“Our customers are nice people,” Saliba said. “My cousin helps everyone; he’ll [even] bring stuff out to you, that way you won’t have to come in, which everyone appreciates, especially our older customers. They love Gabriel. Everybody loves him. He’s the best person you’ll ever meet.”

When Saliba emigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon, he first owned a gas station and restaurant in Massachusetts, eventually selling those businesses and purchasing his first package store, Broadway Liquors in Providence in 1997. Saliba had experience in liquor sales from when he worked at his parents’ market in his hometown of Enfeh, Lebanon, so his skills translated well to package store ownership, he explained.

Saliba and Daiaa curate their selection based mostly on customer requests and their ever-evolving tastes which tend to be influenced by social media trends.

“We carry almost everything and if anybody wants something not in stock, we’ll get it for them right away if it’s available in the state,” Saliba said. “Since I’ve been in the business for a long time, I know what sells and what’s not going to sell so we go from there. Everybody always wants new stuff so we always carry new products when we can but lately since the business has changed after the pandemic, people don’t have brand loyalty anymore. Everybody wants the new thing they just saw on TikTok, whatever they see online they want, so they forget about the stuff they used to drink … The whole market has changed in the past five years.”

Customer tastes have evolved from Scotch, vodka, tequila and big-name beer brands pre-pandemic to more demand for ready-to-drink cocktails and seltzers. Plus, the legalization of marijuana in the state has impacted buying behavior. “The new generation completely changed – they buy nips and stuff but they’re smoking weed more now so the industry has changed a lot,” Saliba said.

In wine, Josh Vineyards, Hess Persson Estates, Ménage à Trois and Meiomi are top-selling brands. In beer, IPAs still sell well, especially Westerly’s Grey Sail Brewing. In big-name beer brands, Michelob Ultra has become a top seller. In spirits, bourbons are still popular, especially those under the Sazerac portfolio he said, and Tito’s is the No. 1 seller in vodka at his store. 

The team at Johnston continues to set itself apart from competitors by going above and beyond for its clientele. “That’s what my cousin does, he’s always smiling, always happy, always treating customers like his own family,” Saliba said. “We treat customers like our family; that’s the main thing.”