Colonial Liquors’ Mike Bogolawski, Owner and Michael Bogolawski, Jr.

Colonial Liquors
128 Summit Street
Pawtucket, RI

Square footage: 2,000

Years in operation: 8 years under current ownership

By Sara Capozzi

For decades, Colonial Liquors has been a fundamental part of Pawtucket’s Quality Hill neighborhood. The shop was once a Piggly Wiggly before being converted into a package store in the late 1950s or early ’60s, according to current owner Mike Bogolawski.

He previously worked as a sales and marketing executive and was looking for opportunities to become a business owner. He knows the previous owner, Tony Lopes, and when Lopes was ready to sell, they negotiated a price and he and his wife, Christine, took over ownership of the shop in 2016.

“It’s in a great spot and it’s a great little store. It was a drive to get out of the corporate world and working for other people,” Bogolawski said. “I just wanted to work for myself and own my own business. And I like the store. I grew up in the neighborhood, near Prospect Heights, and I’m very comfortable with the neighborhood and the people in the neighborhood. I know a lot of the people, so it’s almost a family type of atmosphere because we’re all neighbors and we all grew up there together.”

Bogolawski runs Colonial Liquors day to day with Christine, and the two complement each other well. “I’m the guy that has a vision and says, ‘Hey, let’s do this,’ but she runs the business. She is absolutely incredible. Without her, I’d be lost. She does a great job with ordering, handles the sales reps well. She’s an incredible operator. All the credit is hers; I just had the idea to buy it and she makes it happen.” The couple’s son, Michael Jr., helps out at the store as well.

He said that he enjoys the industry and likes that the business is recession-proof. “You [gotta] know how to buy and how to stock and Christine is great at those things,” he said. “This is really the last industry in Rhode Island that is really a mom-and-pop industry. Most of the liquor stores in the state are predominantly owned by families, not corporate-owned, so it’s really the last bastion in Rhode Island for that type of thing.” Colonial’s diverse customer base mostly hails from the neighborhood.

The team stocks the store by keeping a pulse on what shoppers want. “We keep track of what sells,” Bogolawski said. “Corona, Modelo and Heineken fly off the shelves and some things are dogs. We try different things at different times, but some things work, some things don’t. We listen to the customers—by how they buy and they’ll tell us what they want and we’ll order it for them. If you want something at Colonial, just come up and let us know, we’ll order it for you.”

Tequila is the store’s top-selling spirit. “Tequila across the board is through the roof right now and that’s every liquor store. Tequila is hot right now,” Bogolawski said.

In the future, the couple plans to convert a small existing addition at the side of the building into a smoke shop and to keep hosting several in-store tastings per month for its loyal clientele, as well as maintaining a unique shopping destination for its close-knit neighborhood. The Bogolawskis’ dedication sets them apart.

“This is a family-owned industry, but [some owners] have help,” he said. “You’re going to see me and my wife there every day. When you come in, you’re going to be buying from the owners of that store every day. We order what people want and we treat people with a great deal of respect. This store is a staple of Pawtucket. It’s been there a long time and it’s a testament to the community, to the longevity of the community as a whole and to its past owners.”