Moses Lake Liquor store moves to new location

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake Liquor and Wine is still open for business, just at a new location a couple of blocks down the road.

Owners Mike and Sun Ventura spent the first week of January moving the liquor store from its old location near Petco, to the former Curves building across Grocery Outlet. They officially re-opened Jan. 6, Mike Ventura said.

Business is starting to pick up again, as more people are realizing they're just down the road from their old location.

"A lot of people didn't realize where we moved," he said. "But our signs are up now, so that should help."

Ventura said he decided to move to a different location to save on monthly rent costs. He ended up buying the building the liquor store is in now, which is about 5,200 square feet, he said.

The store only takes up about 4,000 square feet of the building, and Ventura said he is considering what to do with the rest of it.

Ventura said he likes the new building, especially since it came with its own parking lot. Their old location was in a high traffic area, which made it hard to find parking near the store, he said.

"Customers don't have to fight the parking lot now," Ventura said.

The Venturas have owned the liquor store for about a year and a half, after they bought it from the state in June of 2012.

Although its hard for them to compete with some of the bigger stores that now sell liquor, Ventura said Moses Lake Liquor provides a more personalized level of service for customers.

"One advantage we have is we have a much bigger selection than the bigger stores," he said. "I have over 1,200 line items versus some stores that may have 100 to 200 at most."

The liquor store carries a variety of brands and flavors for spirits including tequila, vodka, gin and whiskey, among others, Ventura said. Having a variety ensures they have brands that fall in various price ranges, he said.

"For example, we have Pinnacle cherry and Burnett's cherry, and there's a about a $7 price difference between the two," Ventura explained. "So we have brands that are affordable and then ones that are considered premium."

Sun Ventura said some customers come in to the store unsure of what they want. She can help them with recommendations and even give them ideas for what to mix with certain spirits, something bigger stores don't do for their customers, she said.

She added that they can also bring in special orders for customers if they don't carry a certain product.

Mike Ventura said the store is currently offering Grand Re-Opening specials for customers. Select wines are currently 50 percent off, he said.

Customers can also get 5 percent off spirits.

Moses Lake Liquor is now located at 1180 N. Stratford Rd. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.