Akshay Patel, Sales, Liquor Plus.

Liquor Plus
1015 S. Broadway
East Providence, RI

Square footage: 1,400

Years in operation: 8 years

By Sara Capozzi

Recently celebrating eight years in business, Liquor Plus continues to bring its unique selection and friendly customer service to the East Providence area. Owned by Pratik Amin, the shop is run by Manager Liz DaSilveira, who oversees the daily operations of the shop, including ordering, working with sales representatives, taking in deliveries and dealing with customers.

DaSilveira has managed Liquor Plus since it opened in December 2015 and works day to day with a tight-knit team of three other employees. Managing Liquor Plus is DaSilveira’s first foray into the beer, wine and spirits industry. She brings a solid background in retail to the role from working at a Portuguese bakery, Cumberland Farms and Price Rite.

The customer base at Liquor Plus is mostly local and they receive friendly customer service from DaSilveira and her team. “I’ve been here since the store first opened, so I’m really friendly with a lot of the customers … I’ve lived in East Providence my entire life,” she said. “So, I know a lot of people that shop here. It’s a very neighborhood kind of store.”

DaSilveira said the area is home to a diverse population, a high number of which are people who are Portuguese-speaking or from Portuguese decent and those of South American heritage. Because of that, the store specializes in this niche with brands from Portugal and Brazil. Liquor Plus carries four different kinds of Cachaça and five different kinds of Aguardiente, a liqueur that is popular in Colombia.

Popular brands include Velho Barreiro Cachaça, Van Ryn’s Viceroy Smooth Gold Liqueur, Carvalho Ribeiro & Ferreira CRF 1920 Brandy, Constantino Brandy and Cape Verdean liqueurs Tropicana Grog de Cana Gold Rum and Tropicana Pontche de Mel Rum. Liquor Plus offers a broad range of wine choices, with bottles from Argentina and Portugal selling well. As far as varietals, “We have a pretty decent Sauvignon Blanc selection because I like Sauvignon Blanc,” DaSilveira said. “I started bringing in different ones from Marlborough so that we have a decent selection.”

Shoppers also continue to reach for ready-to-drink beverages and seltzers like High Noon, malt beverages like Twisted Tea, domestic brews from Michelob Ultra and Sam Adams, and imported beer such as Stella Artois, Corona and Heineken. The store carries plenty of craft beer as well, from local and regional brewers including Revival Brewing Co., Cisco Brewers, Shaidzon Beer Company and Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island.

Shopping is a breeze with inventory neatly arranged under easy-to-read signage and, if customers have any questions, the team is more than happy to help. Liquor Plus aims to cater to all of its customers and offers a fully accessible ramp leading to its front door. In the future, Amin plans to bring back delivery services for local customers, DaSilveira said.