Cheers to Brownstone Bottle Shop

One after another, they come in, greeted by a friendly “Hello” or “How’s it going.”

Not bad for a Thursday afternoon at Brownstone Bottle Shop in Portland, but it could have easily been another time on a different day.

“I was always taught be respectful to people, they’ll respect you,” store manager Ryan Milardo said. “We’re a very tight community in Portland, that’s what I’ve always loved about it. Basically, your friends and family are coming through that door. Customer service is the biggest thing here. That’s what we try to push.  You want to come in the store because it’s a friendly environment. We’re not just here to serve you what you need - you need to talk about something, we’re here to talk. That’s our thing.”

And it has been for a little more than a year. The store, at 220 Main St., celebrated its first anniversary on May 2.

Milardo has been there since the beginning. He had been working at Willowbrook Spirit Shop for about two years. When he heard of Brownstone Bottle Shop opening, he interviewed with the store’s owner, John Sullivan, and walked out with a job. Not long after starting, he became the manager.

The past year might seem like a blur, but what is clear is the positive response the store has received.

“[The customers] always comment how nice and clean the store is and how friendly the atmosphere is,” said Milardo, who knew the names of several customers who came in this day. “That’s the kind of thing we try to do, keep up constantly, do windows, dust. The little stuff, that’s what really goes a long way. And helping the customer out as much as possible. That’s what we try to do, treat everybody like a friend.

The package store will be celebrating the Memorial Day weekend with a tasting on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. Customers will have the chance to sample different flavors of Shock Top beers such as Summer Shandy, IPA and Raspberry.

“It’s a Belgian wheat-style beer,” Milardo said. “It gets a lot more popular in the summertime. It’s light and refreshing.”

There will be more offered during the weekend, including the Shock Top car being parked in front of the store through Monday.

“We try to make it a lot of fun,” Milardo said, adding that he tries to have two or three tastings a month. “We’ll have some different food out. The car will be parked out front. There’s going to be the Shock Top girls doing the tasting for everybody and we’re going to have some specials in the store.”

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The store will be open through Monday, though Millardo said he might close early on Memorial Day.

Being able to open on Monday is one of the “benefits” of the new liquor law passed by the state.

Milardo, who will be married on June 22, didn’t seem fazed by the prospect of being open seven days a week.

"Pretty much everyone in Connecticut knew the Sunday thing was probably going to be coming into effect," he said. "The way it has gone through is the best it could be is our outlook on it, so accept it and make it fun."

Still, Milardo was uncertain of the impact.

"Not quite sure yet. It's a new game," he said. "It could be really good or it could be really bad. We're not one of those border towns so we're not going to see that difference. It's all new ground."

Milardo said his plan is to try to "gear up" Sundays with tastings and other promotions to increase business, especially during the winter months.

With Kevin Armstrong busy at the register, Milardo was frequently pulled away to help customers, exchanging small talk while he did. The past 30 minutes, business has been good, as it has the past year.

A success?

“I couldn’t be happier with it,” Milardo said. “John loves coming here, he loves what we’ve done with the place. It’s his kid, I just kind of like guide it in a certain direction. We’re getting new customers every day.”

So, if you see the orange Shock Top car this weekend - and if you are on Main Street in Portland I don't see how you can miss it, stop in and say “Hello,” “How’s it going” or maybe even “Happy Anniversary.”

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