A New Owner And New Look For Newtown Wine And Spirits

By Kaaren Valenta

Jack Sheehan climbed a stepladder last week to untangle the American flags flying from the front of his new business, Newtown Wine & Spirits at 113 South Main Street.

“I just finished remodeling the store,” he said, “and I’m getting ready for a grand opening on Saturday, June 12, to introduce my store to the community.”

Mr Sheehan, who lives in Fairfield, bought the store on March 30 after a 15-year career in the telecommunications industry.

“I have a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Southern New Hampshire, and I have some retailing background,” he said. “I wanted to work for myself. I wanted to find a business that would be small enough to run by myself until I could develop it, and as it got busy I could add staff.”

Mr Sheehan said he likes all kinds of wine and enjoys learning more about it. Plus, he pointed out, a liquor store is a six-day-a-week business, not a seven-day business, and the products sell well whether the economy is good or bad, so it was exactly the type of business he was looking for.

“I saw this store as a real opportunity,” he said. “I liked the location. I liked that it is a stand-alone store, not in a strip mall where customers would have to deal with a large parking lot. I liked the easy in and out of this location even though it is on a busy road.

“And I liked the fact that Newtown is one of the fastest growing towns in Fairfield County,” he added.

As soon as he took over the 1,000-square foot store, he began to clean, paint, and reorganize.

“I moved shelves around to maximize the space,” he said. “I wanted to make room to bring in new products, and I wanted it to be more open and user-friendly. I organized the wine by type rather than by brand to make it easier for the customer.”

The work helped him to see exactly what he had in stock and how he needed to expand.

“I became knowledgeable about exactly what I have and don’t have,” he said. “I spent lots of hours on weekends renovating the store and I think it came out well. People tell me it’s much brighter in here now.”

Mr Sheehan plans to expand on the wine that the store stocks and to have wine tastings every Saturday. He also wants to bring in more beers from microbreweries.

“I welcome requests for specific products. I will get it in,” he said. “I am also very happy to do special orders for parties and events. I can help with planning the events and getting the specific items.”

The store also sells wine-related implements and lotto tickets.

“I’ve met a lot of people during the past two months and they have made a lot of positive comments about the store,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to developing my business in Newtown.”

Newtown Wine & Spirits is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 am to 8 pm. For more information call 270-9495.