Former Bazilian's Building is Home to New Wine and Spirits Store

Parkview Wine & Spirits, located in the building formerly occupied by the legendary shoe store, is not your run-of-the-mill package store, according to its owner, Jay Parmar.

“It’s a fine-wine store with warehouse prices and a better selection,” he said while giving a tour of the 8,000-square-foot store Thursday afternoon.

The store opened its doors in late May.

About 60 to 70 percent of Parkview’s brightly lit hardwood floor space is dedicated to a diverse selection of wines from all over the world, with prices ranging from $3.99 to $700.

A small, temperature-controlled room in the back houses the high-end wines that sell for between $80 and $600 a bottle.

There is also a special area for wine tastings that are held on Friday and Saturday afternoons.

While Parkview’s core business is wine, the beer and liquor sections are far from neglected.

The beer selection ranges from the familiar domestics and imports to the obscure, including a premium Samuel Adams brew that goes for $180 (!) a bottle. Patrons also have a healthy choice of craft beers, microbrews and ciders.

Parmar said that he is looking to employ a beer specialist to expand that portion of the business.

The store also features a robust liquor aisle stocked with bottles of popular and lesser-known rums, bourbons, vodkas, cognacs, ports, tequilas and liqueurs.

What also separates Parkview from its warehouse competitors is that it is not a one-size-fits-all operation.

Adopting the same approach he used when he opened Cheshire Wine & Spirits eight years ago, Parmar intentionally left 30 to 40 percent of his floor space open to accommodate requests and suggestions from his customers.

“We try to be a part of the community,” said Ravi Parmar, Jay’s son who works at the store. “We ask everybody what they want. You’re only going to sell things to people that they want.”

The early returns, according to Jay Parmar, have been encouraging.

“It’s been pretty good,” he said. “We’ve gotten more business on advertising and through word of mouth from friends and neighbors.”

West Hartford resident Richard Moffitt, who was found perusing the Argentinean wine section on Thursday afternoon, said that he was making his third visit to Parkview and gave it a ringing endorsement.

“They’ve got a great selection and offer superb value,” said Moffitt, noting that his son, while on a recent visit from New York City, was shocked that he was able to purchase a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label, which would go for about $175 in the Big Apple, for just over $100 at Parkview. 

Moffitt, who also proudly displayed a $16 bottle of Chardonnay that normally costs $22 elsewhere, said that he was also impressed with the staff members’ collective knowledge of wine.

The question, according to Moffitt, was whether the store would continue to offer such terrific deals in the long run.

But Jay Parmar, who owned a convenience store in England for 21 years before he immigrated to the U.S., was optimistic that his business model, coupled with the store’s location (which Parmar coveted for two years before finally securing a lease) would lead to success.

“We are going to reflect the tastes of West Hartford,” he said.