BUSINESS NEWS
Coast River Business Journal
Meet the Merchant
May 2020 • 3
Interview by Luke Whittaker lwhittaker@crbizjournal.com
How long have you worked here?
“About five years.”
How did you get started?
“My parents own it.”
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How long have they had the business?
“I want to say about 12 years.”
Was it always in this location?
“No, it used to be over by Hondo’s Brew & Cork.
About seven years ago it moved to this location.
I’ve heard this building was lots of different
things, maybe even a car showroom at one point.”
Can you tell me a little about the inventory
you carry?
“We have one of the most varied selection of
products on this side of the coast. We have all
your basic cordials — gin, whiskey, rum, vodka,
tequila.”
What sells the most?
“Lately vodka has been selling pretty well. A lot
of people have been buying Everclear to make
hand sanitizer. I would say vodka and whiskey
are our biggest sellers. It also depends on the time
of the year. Summer is more gin and tequila. In
winter we sell more rum.”
What are some of the latest products on your
shelf?
“Seasonally we get the Schmirnoff Red, White
and Berry vodka. It’s pretty popular, people really
like it during the summer. We’ve brought in a
bunch of different ryes and people have been
experimenting with those.”
What are some of the rare, unique or hard-to-
find products you carry?
“We get Blanton’s and Weller bourbon whiskey
pretty regularly and a lot of places can’t. We get
them once or twice a month.”
What’s the most expensive bottle on the shelf?
“Probably the Johnnie Walker Blue Label. The
Macallan 18 ($350) is pretty expensive too.”
Is there one bottle you consider a best buy?
“Tito’s (vodka) flies off the shelf.”
Have you ever had any unusual requests from
customers?
“Yes, a lot of times people request things that no
one can get. We do our best and do special orders
each week for customers if they ask.”
Have you ever encountered anyone trying to
buy alcohol with a fake ID?
“We haven’t seen it in a long time but it’s
happened before. We know what to look for with
a fake ID — if its cut or looks different — and we
run them through our scanner. We haven’t had it
happen in a long time.”
Did it used to be more common?
“We’re a small town and we know most people.
So when someone comes in that looks young…
We probably know your mom.”
Natalie Nielsen is the manager of Astoria Liquor Store, a family-run business that carries hundreds
of different varieties of alcohol.
Astoria Liquor Store
Natalie Nielsen, manager
Phone: 503-325-4784
Address: 730 Bond St., Suite A, Astoria
What’s the protocol with someone that gets
busted with a fake ID?
“We just take it and ask them to leave. Usually
what happens is we ask someone for their ID and
they throw a fit and say they’re going to go get it
and never come back.”
What impact has the covid-19 outbreak had
on business?
“There are a lot of bars in Astoria and most of
them are our clients. We don’t have that clientele
right now because they’re not open. We just now
opened back up to our regular hours. The last
few weeks we had shortened hours and were
closed on Sunday because we just didn’t have the
personnel to stay open. Things are starting to go
back to normal for us.”
What percent of your business comes from
sales to restaurants?
“About 10%.”
What’s your favorite part of the job?
“The people I work with and the people we get to
interact with.”
Are there any customers stories that resonate
with you?
“Every day. There’s a lot of characters that come
in from all walks of life.”
Is there one liquor you feel is
underappreciated or often overlooked?
“I think sometimes with the whiskeys or the
vodkas people think they have to be top end to
get the best. But there’s a lot of mid-range that are
high quality.”
Do you have a personal favorite?
“Hussong’s Tequila.”
Are there any cocktails that were once popular
that are making a come back?
“The old ones are coming back — the Sidecar,
the Manhattan. Things like that, they’re all
coming back. The new thing now is the peanut
butter whiskey. They need to mix it with
Chambord (raspberry liqueur) so they can have a
peanut butter and jelly shot. Another is chocolate
whiskey, you can make a Reese’s Peanut Butter
Cup.”