Coventry Liquors’ Shawn China, Co-owner;
Christine Langford, Sales Associate; and
Anthony Ray, Co-owner.

Coventry Liquors
600 Washington Street
Coventry, RI

Square footage: 2,500

Years in operation: 32 years

By Sara Capozzi

When cousins and business partners Anthony Ray and Shawn China purchased Coventry Liquors in 1992, they both thought it would be a temporary business endeavor. “We figured it was going to be a two- to three-year project and it turned into a career,” China said.

The duo had some family in the industry—Ray’s uncle owned Beverage Hill in Pawtucket and his cousin Tony owned Fred’s, which is now Big River Spirits, in West Greenwich. Still, the first few years were a learning experience. China was finishing up his business degree and Ray had graduated with a degree in education when they purchased the shop.

“Originally we thought we were going to flip it, but then you start making money and you’re like, ‘Let’s do this for a while,’” said Ray, noting the building needed a lot of renovation in the beginning. “It was a rehab job. We didn’t really know much about the industry. We were really wet behind the ears, but we learned pretty quick … the first few years were tough but we figured it out.”

Over the years, China and Ray have added on to the building twice, in order to expand the store’s cooler section and storage space, bringing the store to its current 2,500 square feet. They plan to do another addition for more space in the spring.

As the success of their business at Coventry Liquors grew, the cousins went on to buy Centerville Liquors in West Warwick in 2004, which they ran together for 20 years before selling it to the Ngo family last year.

China and Ray operate the shop with the help of Sales Associate Christine Langford, who brings expertise from her previous career in sales for MS Walker and Heaven Hill Distillery to the role. She and a small team of part-timers provide a friendly and convenient customer experience to the store’s loyal customer base, who are mostly regulars from the neighborhood.

Shoppers appreciate the store’s neat and orderly arrangement, making items easy to find. China and Ray also recently expanded the shop’s whiskey selection to appeal to customer tastes, adding more high-end and allocated bottles to the store’s inventory. Top-selling items include whiskeys, nips and beer, along with wine brands such as Barefoot and Yellow Tail.

“Beer and spirits drive the majority of sales in the store,” Ray said, noting that he and China have tried marketing fine wine more in the past with a different selection, lay-down racks and in-store tastings, but “it’s just not the demographics.” According to Ray, “Customers drive from all over the state” for the store’s Coventry Nit Pick Selection, where shoppers can shop a plentiful variety of 99-cent 50-ml bottles from bins, similar to the setup of a candy store.

While the big-name beer brands used to reign supreme, they still sell well even though ready-to-drink beverages and seltzers have taken a bite out of some of the category’s sales, according to China. Craft beer is located in its own cooler and the team is sure to rotate the selection from local breweries seasonally.

The popularity of items is always in flux, which is one of the things that makes the industry continue to be interesting, per Ray. “That’s what’s fun about this business—it’s ever-evolving,” he said.

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