The exterior of Classic Liquors.

Classic Liquors
1358 Plainfield Street
Cranston, RI

Square footage: 2,000

Years in operation: 15 years

By Sara Capozzi

Celebrating 15 years in business in April, Cranston’s Classic Liquors continues to bring its plentiful selection and friendly customer service to the Silver Lake neighborhood.

Owned by the Nehme family and run day to day by husband-and-wife team Jeanette and Elie Nehme with the help of their young adult sons, Joseph and George, Classic Liquors has become a staple for its band of regular customers from the area.

Originally from Lebanon, the Nehmes moved to the U.S. in 1990. The couple spent about 20 years in the restaurant industry before making the switch to package store ownership in search of better hours. “I worked in a couple of pizza places and I remember working until 3 in the morning a lot of nights,” said Elie. “I saw people who had liquor stores that were open till 10 o’clock and it seemed easier in comparison.”

During the last 15 years, the family-owned shop has built up a loyal customer base establishing relationships with shoppers from the neighborhood and throughout Cranston (and its surrounding cities of Johnston and Providence) who have learned to count on the shop’s broad selection of beer, wine and spirits.

Classic Liquors stocks a solid inventory in all categories, offering “a little bit of everything” to appeal to a wide range of customer tastes from mainstream to coterie across all categories. Popular items include big-name beer brands such as Corona and Bud Light and whiskies like Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Vodka is the store’s top-selling spirit category and 50-ml bottles are popular as well. Customer tastes in wines are eclectic. The store carries plenty of price points from Arbor Mist and Yellow Tail to Josh Cellars or Chloe and sparkling selections from Moët & Chandon and Luc Belaire.

The store offers a wide variety of whiskies in their own aisle, with well-known bourbon brands on one wall and flavored whiskies on the other. Shoppers will find a range of domestic, imported and craft beer chilled in the shop’s cooler, with a separate fridge for grab-and-go single cans.
The family creates a friendly atmosphere, with its matriarch, Jeanette, often found behind the register to greet customers. “My wife is a very nice lady and everybody loves her,” Elie said. “My kids work with her and everybody loves them—they give everyone good service.”

The Nehmes keep a pulse on customers’ buying habits and stock their inventory based on what customers request and what sells well all while keeping prices low, a combination that keeps shoppers happy and coming back.

“Everybody says we have good people, good service and good prices,” Elie said. “There are a lot of stores next to me, but so many people choose to come to us and compliment us, which we appreciate.”