Atwood Package Store
886 New Britain Avenue
Hartford, CT

Square footage: 1,800

Years in operation: 23 years

By Sara Capozzi

Celebrating its 23rd anniversary in November, family-owned Atwood Package Store continues to serve the Hartford area with its plentiful selection and personalized service.

Owned and operated by Niraj “Raj” Pandya, Atwood carries a well-rounded variety of beer, wine and spirits to appeal to its established customer base. Pandya brings decades of experience to this endeavor. After attending college in Boston and working in the IT field, he returned to Connecticut and purchased Atwood in 2003. The shop was in a familiar neighborhood and Pandya saw potential in its convenient location off of New Britain Avenue.

Pandya achieved success early on, tripling business in his first year over the store’s earnings for the previous year. “We put in a lot of work,” he said. “We redid the whole store, we put in new shelving, coolers, POS, cameras. And then through word of mouth and good service, business continued to grow through the years.”

Shoppers enjoy the store’s plentiful selection, and Pandya and his team are happy to take their requests for new products or ones they may not carry. They also don’t hesitate to do special orders for customers and will help with beverage planning for parties and larger events. “We do great with the community,” Pandya said. “I’ve had the same customers for the past 25 years. We do a lot of keg business and 30-packs with Trinity College [nearby] So, it’s a good mix of both.”

Pandya has seen trends come and go over the past two decades, from IPAs and seltzers to bourbon, and there’s always new products for customers to discover. “Now, I feel like more and more people are switching from vodka and Cognacs to tequila,” he said. “Tequila is the big thing now and RTDs.” Big-name and imported beer brands are the most sought after over craft beer, and customers continue to reach for seltzers and canned ready-to-drinks.

His philosophy on customer service is simple. “Just treat people [well], treat people the way you want to be treated and they come back. Try to be mindful of the prices because times are tough. You want a repeat customer over a one-time customer.”

The atmosphere at Atwood Package Store is friendly and upbeat, welcoming both regular and new shoppers. A few years ago, to celebrate the store’s 20th anniversary, Pandya hosted a party, in collaboration with Patrón Tequila, for his customers in appreciation of their support of him all of these years.

In-store tastings on weekends are a draw for shoppers, which, along with regular sales and promotions, keep them happy and coming back.