Andy's Liquor: largest solar powered liquor store in CO

Grand Junction, CO (KKCO)-Drop by Andy’s Liquor Mart on First Street and you'll find the standards, liquor, wine and beer but you'll also find some thing else, deep roots. "We've been in business in Grand Junction for over 30 years," says store manager John Olds. Olds has been working at Andy’s for more than half of that. "I've been here 17 years," he says. Olds will tell you things have changed in the last few years. Olds says, "Customer base is getting more knowledgeable, especially about wine and liquor and of course the micro brews are a big part of the beer business." And Andy’s has made several transitions to keep up with the market. They've hired a buyer to concentrate solely on those micro brews; they also brought Joe Giordano on board as the wine manager. "I love talking to people about wine," says Giordano.

Giordano says like most liquor, wine is all about preference and how you pair it. "Comparison with food is extremely important because they compliment each other," says Giordano. The best compliment you can give him says Giordano is repeat business. "The biggest joy I get out of is when somebody comes back in and they say, 'Joe that case of wine was great.' You know what I mean, or 'that bottle went fantastic with the meal everybody loved it, mix me up another case,'" he says.

Andy’s has also made another huge change; a new building but the biggest improvement is the hardest to see. "We're the largest solar powered liquor store in Colorado," says Olds. A TV screen inside the store shows what the 378 panels are doing outside; helping Andy’s stay in business for several more decades.

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