Reyes Liquors’ Luis and Diana Reyes.

Reyes Liquors

187 Westminster Street

Providence, RI

Square footage: 2,400
Years in operation: 13

By Sara Capozzi

Reyes Liquors Owner Luis Reyes has memories of working in his family’s grocery stores since he was a child in the Dominican Republic, and while he carried on that tradition in the U.S., he also wanted to try his luck in a different field. After Reyes and his family immigrated to the United States, he owned two of his own: one in Providence and one in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

“I wanted to do something different,” he said. “And I had always been interested in this industry.” A lot about the package store business appealed to Reyes. “I saw this as a cleaner business and more interesting because everything has a bit of history,” he said. “For example, with every wine, if you read about that wine, each one has a different story behind it.”

In March of 2012, an opportunity presented itself when Reyes learned of a store that was for sale in Providence. He bought the license and decided to open his new shop in the building on Westminster Street, which he had bought previously. The space had formerly been a supermarket and Reyes had known of the location for years as an area business owner.

And with 2,400 square feet, of that, 1,700 is the sales floor. The store carries a well-rounded variety of beer, wine and spirits to appeal to its established customer base. Now 13 years in, Reyes runs the shop with his wife, Diana, and a small team of dedicated employees. The curated selection has been directly influenced by the requests of the store’s clientele, the majority of which hail from the shop’s Olneyville neighborhood.

“Everything you see here is something my customers asked for,” Reyes said. “My customers like the store because they say we’re part of the neighborhood. Anytime they want something, they ask me for it, and by the next week, we have it.”

Reyes Liquors specializes in craft beer and wine, but it sells “a little bit of everything,” he said. Some popular items in the  beer category include brews from South Kingstown’s Whalers Brewing Company, and imports such as Corona and Modelo. In wine, customers reach for Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc in the summer months, and tequila is one of the shop’s top-selling spirits categories. Reyes also carries some craft spirits and local products. “We try to carry as much local stuff on our shelves as possible to support local businesses,” he said.

The Reyes team stays in touch with customers through the store’s Instagram page and word of mouth. Customers will often tell their friends and family about events like promotions and in-store tastings. “It’s a really nice community all around,” he said. “And they know everything. They’ll say, ‘You can go to Reyes, they’ll have it.’”

The Reyes family appreciates the supportive neighborhood they’ve become a part of in a little over a decade. “I just want to say thank you,” he said. “This is a family business … We try to keep everything nice for customers … that’s the important thing for us. And we like to be part vof the community.”