Chum’s Spirits
94 Chapel Street
Harrisville, RI

Square footage: 1,300

Years in operation: 30 years

By Sara Capozzi

For 30 years, the Pelkey family has owned and run Chum’s Spirits, a favorite in the village of Harrisville for its affordability and friendly service. Brian Pelkey Jr. is the latest to carry on the legacy of the shop, which has been named Chum’s for as long as anyone in town can remember.

Pelkey’s father, Brian Sr., and grandfather, Butch Pelkey, purchased the store in 1996. Brian Jr. grew up helping out around the shop, sweeping floors, and became an employee when he was in high school in 2006. He took over more daily responsibilities in 2011 as Butch partially retired. He then became a business partner when Butch died in 2021. His father, Brian Sr., continues to serve as a silent partner.

Pelkey Jr. runs the shop with the help of Corey Nichols, assistant manager, and a small team of employees. Staff members help shoppers with personalized service, whether they are in search of a specific spirit or need help bringing items to their cars. The store’s customer base is mostly locals, with more out-of-town shoppers stopping in during the summer months, drawn by nearby campgrounds and lakes.

“We have a lot of really good people that come in here,” Pelkey said. “We’re pretty lucky with the customers we have.”

According to Pelkey, Chum’s is mostly “a beer store,” and in the summer months, seltzers and ready-to-drink cocktails sell well. Chum’s has a spacious walk-in cooler to keep selections chilled, which is one of many reasons why shoppers return.

“My grandfather was a welder by trade, and he always said there was nothing worse than being out welding in the hot sun all day and stopping in at a warm liquor store and buying warm beer,” Pelkey said. 

“He took pride in that he put central air in here, so that it’d be nice and cool in here in the summertime and that walk-in cooler was his biggest investment … it’s one thing that the town seems to know us for — people come in here and they know their beer will always be cold.”

The team at Chum’s offers regular in-store tastings of new products. They also make special orders if a customer is looking to try a new item that is out of stock. Pelkey stays involved in town by supporting local organizations, events and a local town softball team. He also attends town council meetings when issues impacting the local package store community are on the docket.

“I think one of the unique things is me and my family are from this town,” Pelkey said. “We all grew up here, so everybody’s known the family for generations really … As far as local support, we try to have as much of a presence as we can,” he said.

This local backing has been reciprocal in the close-knit community, which was fully realized upon Butch Pelkey’s death.

“I can’t explain the support we got from people when they heard that he passed away, the amount of cards and flowers that got delivered here for the first couple weeks,” Pelkey said. “And it’s a big part of the small community thing, everybody knows each other. Everybody knew him, myself and my father. The Budweiser delivery truck showed up at his funeral — he was close with all of them too.”