In addition to profiling our Retailer of the Year, Gary’ s Wine & Marketplace, our editorial team has chosen four other Top

BY MAURA KELLER

100 winners who were ranked in our top-20 to highlight in this issue.

These four retailers are leaders in their markets, demonstrating how off-premise stores can provide great customer service, stay on top of the latest trends and get involved in the local community.

Denver, Colorado

CONSIDERED TO BE DENVER, COLORADO’ S largest liquor store, Argonaut Wine and Liquor has made a name for itself in the region since the 1930s.

“ The earliest mention we could find of the Argonaut liquor store was in the 1930s,” says Josh Robinson, co-owner and manager.“ My family bought the store in the early 1960s from a family we sold insurance to. Since then, four generations of our family have run the store. In 2008 we moved to our third building on the same block of historic Colfax Avenue with our new 40,000-square-foot facility.”

Currently, Argonaut stocks more than 15,000 types of liquor, beer and wine, including an array of Colorado craft beer and spirits at some of the most competitive prices in the state.

Argonaut has not only earned a reputation for having the widest selection in the Denver metropolitan area, but it is also one of most environmentally conscious liquor stores in the country.

Solar cells grace the store’ s roof to supply approximately 17 percent of the business’ power needs. LED lighting throughout the establishment’ s cooler doors reduce heat within the store’ s environs.

The store’ s mantra,“ Argonaut has it!” bodes well for those looking for unique product offerings. These cover the gamut of all types of liquor categories, as well as nonalcohol products, including wine accessories, mixers and soda, food and snacks, as well as cigars and cigarettes.

“ Also, we are one of the largest delivery stores in the state of Colorado and go above and beyond for our customers,” Robinson says.“ Our customer service and knowledgeable staff create one of the best customer experiences in the state.”

During the pandemic, demand for delivery exploded. As such,

one of the largest challenges for the Argonaut team— especially toward the beginning of the pandemic— was figuring out how to completely overhaul the company’ s e-commerce and delivery process to make it more efficient.

“ Thanks to the hard work and innovativeness of our staff, we were able to more than double our daily capacity for delivery or-

18 Beverage Dynamics • 2021 Top 100 Issue www. beveragedynamics. com