Darwin CBD laneway becomes home to a new boutique wine and liquor store
Two Darwin entrepreneurs are opening a hole-in-the-wall boutique wine and spirits store. We take you inside the shoebox-sized outlet where the chief security guard is pawfully cute.
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A shoebox-sized storefront hidden down a Darwin lane is set to liven the city’s spirits with a unique offering to the Top End.
Liquor Down Under, a passion project of prominent local retailers Darryl Thomas and Darlene Chin, is opening on Spain Place this October.
Tucked at the back of the couple’s clothes store Attitude for Men, the 18sq m space houses a carefully selected repertoire of wine, whisky and gin, with the potential to stock “just about anything you ask for”.
It will also host regular wine tasting events and be a one-stop shop for products not found anywhere else in the Territory.
“I really look at wine, in particular, as being something that has knowledge attached to it and people like to talk about it,” Mr Thomas said.
“Expanding into a retail space is a part of being able to share knowledge with people.
“It’s really about sharing unique products from around the world and having some fun with it.”
An ex-South Australian, Mr Thomas studied wine in Adelaide as a “great escape” from his former day-to-day role as a police officer.
Now a Top End local of about 38 years, he’s run a wholesale liquor company with his partner Ms Chin for about half that time, supplying quality – and temperature-controlled – products to the city’s restaurants and cafes.
Liquor Down Under is a long-awaited extension of their behind-the-scenes business, spurred by a passion to share quality products with an engaged customer base.
“It’s not a huge market, but it’s a fun market and it’s about the passion,” Mr Thomas said.
“A lot of people are locked into wine clubs and they just get something every month or three months and they find that easy.
“We want to offer something different.
“After talking to people you do find they still want a store with a door.
“It’s a unique proposition for Darwin and we’re getting in a lot of left-field, funky products.
“We’re looking at vegan, organic, biodynamic and gluten-free wine, without trying to be everything to everyone.
“But if I haven’t got it, I can always try and get it.”
While the store’s focus is on Australian wines and spirits, European and New Zealand wines are also stocked with prices ranging from $20 to about $1000 per bottle.
“We think our customers will know what they want and they will want to talk about it,” Mr Thomas said.
“They’re not looking for just any bottle of wine or spirits, they want something different and they’re willing to pay for it.”
Liquor Down Under officially opens on Friday October 7.
Darwin’s Air Raid Arcade is also set to get a revitalisation with a new indoor cinema and pizza restaurant.
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Originally published as Darwin CBD laneway becomes home to a new boutique wine and liquor store
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