Bottle shops, taprooms springing up in Sonoma County for beer and wine lovers

Almost three years into his lease, Vikram Badhan finally was able to open his Wilibees Wine & Spirits shop and taproom in downtown Santa Rosa several weeks ago.

Badhan conceded that many others would have thrown in the towel on such a project. He constantly struggled with city planners to open his upscale 6,400-square-foot store, to the point where the City Council overruled the planning director and allowed him to go forward on the much-delayed project.

Even his wife questioned his quest to expand from his original Petaluma store.

'I guess you can call me stubborn enough to follow through,' Badhan said.

But the payoff initially appears to be worth the effort. The new space offers a broad selection of wine, beer and liquor as well as an expansive taproom that will open on Friday, an area where he can hold seminars and classes, such as a port and chocolate night for couples in advance of Valentine's Day. This is not your typical neighborhood pub or boutique wine shop.

'I am betting my money where my mouth is,' Badhan said. 'I better believe that is where the future is going.'

Many others are making the same bet in the North Bay. A bunch of businesses will open early this year to provide on-site consumption of wine or beer as well as a retail space to purchase such products to take home. The majority are not offering full-service meals, opting to stay away from a much tougher business.

In Windsor, Oliver's Markets will open a new location this spring that will feature a family-friendly taproom with local beer and wines and specialty items such as Korean street tacos. BeerCraft, which has established itself as a premier bottle shop for local beer geeks in Rohnert Park, is opening another location in Novato. And two local beer veterans will soon open the Seismic Bottle Shop & Draught House in downtown Santa Rosa after getting the OK from city officials last week to start remodeling their space along Mendocino Avenue.

Each of these businesses is targeting different niches within an alcoholic beverage market that appears poised to continue growing in future years — even in a county with an estimated 550 wineries, two dozen craft brewers and a burgeoning craft distillery scene.

They aim to stand out by offering a diverse selection from different producers that cannot be sampled at a single brewery or winery, such as coveted India pale ale from outside California or a specific wine from the Tuscany region. Some will have a tap takeover by out-of-state breweries or offer a food pairing night, making shopping much more of an experience rather than a befuddling chore that may or may not end up in success.

'What I tell my employees: We are not in the retail business. We are in the service business,' Badhan said near his bar, which will offer 12 taps for beer and 24 for wine.

The space is likely to grow in the future. Many point to the example of Portland, Ore., a beer-crazy town that hosts many these so-called bottle shops, even with 84 breweries located in its metro area.

'In Portland, bottle shops are all over the place and they are a thriving business,' said Tracy Sheppard, a senior lender at Live Oak Bank in Santa Rosa, which specializes in the craft beverage area.

'It's a natural progression for our community as peoples' appreciation for beer grows, even more so for the last couple of years,' Sheppard added.

Even those getting into the market say there is still plenty of room currently, given that Sonoma County remains a top wine destination and a big beer mecca.

'The more the merrier,' said Drew Ferrante, co-owner of the Seismic Bottle Shop & Draught House, which is a few blocks north of Wilibees.

Seismic plans to have 20 beers on tap, specializing in drafts that will be rare for beer lovers in an area accustomed to hoppy IPAs. It will also promote local winemakers, said Ferrante, who is well known in local beer circles from his past as a longtime bartender at Russian River Brewing Co.

'This is what the beer culture wants,' he said. 'They can't get enough of it.'

For Oliver's, the choice is made more out of necessity given that competitors in recent years have built similar taprooms and customers now expect them. Whole Foods Market at Coddingtown Mall features a taproom inside the large grocery store and Community Market in Sebastopol has a space that features specialty brews hard to obtain elsewhere, such as the one-hitter series from Lagunitas Brewing Co. in Petaluma. There is also a natural synergy as customers who come into the store for a pint of beer or a glass of wine may also stop to pick up an item or even dinner to take home, increasing sales.

'The idea is to bring a real Wine Country supermarket cafe,' said Tom Scott, chief executive officer for Oliver's. 'The idea is to have something for everybody.'

Such items being considered would be a specialty root beer for kids, as well as craft brews 'that will resonate with the beer geek as well,' he said.

Part of the success of such shops is being able to curate products that are hard to obtain elsewhere, making it more attractive to customers who reside in one of the best beer and wine locales on earth and are used to consuming world-class products.

For example, BeerCraft owner J.T. Fenn notes he makes trips down to Cellarmaker Brewing Co. in San Francisco. It is known for small batches of experimental beers, an item that can bring in customers who don't want to make a round trip into the big city.

'That's part of the challenge, part of the fun,' Fenn said. 'The thing I always come back to is that nobody can have everything.'

Badhan of Wilibees said he believes that customers are looking for a personal beer, wine or liquor buyer they can trust to assist in purchases and help educate them as well. 'I want to provide a place to interact,' he said.

Bottle Barn, a Santa Rosa beer, wine and liquor warehouse that changed ownership this year, has built its business around such expertise from its employees; its wine buyer, Ben Pearson, is well regarded locally, and his picks are constantly touted in its marketing. A Bottle Barn manager said last week there are no immediate plans to offer on-site consumption.

Most of all, these owners said they want to bring the fun back into shopping. For instance, Wilibees will allow customers to create their own six-pack of beers, providing a greater opportunity for experimentation from the traditional retailing environment.

'It's a culture store. It's a lifestyle store,' Badhan said of his business.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.