OPEN MAP HERE DOWN TOWN A downtown staple for over 40 years, Val’s Liquors remodels and updates Val’s Liquors owner Steve Rodrigues Napa native Steve Rodrigues knows liquor, having worked for the Gallo Company doing sales while also dabbling in what was a new business frontier at the time—the internet. So when a friend who owned Val’s Liquors on Third Street in downtown Napa asked him to work on a new start-up, Interx, in 1997, Rodrigues said he would sign on—if the friend also agreed to sell Val’s Liquors to him. In 1998, Rodrigues took ownership of the popular store, which originally was part of a Vallerga family-owned chain. Rodrigues continued to juggle both businesses, growing each successfully. Interx merged with NapaNet in 2000, and in 2005, Rodrigues sold his interest in the internet business to expand his entrepreneurships to include mortgages, IT consulting, and credit card processing. But his love was his liquor stores. “I’ve been a resident of Napa Valley since I was two years old,” said the Sunrise Rotarian member. “I’m committed to downtown Napa and want to be part of its growth. It’s exciting what’s happening here. I’ve seen a lot of changes in the fourteen years I’ve owned Val’s Liquor.” Rodrigues believes that the businesses that have survived long term in downtown Napa have been willing to adapt and evolve as the city has evolved. “It’s important to keep things fresh and have a huge variety of items for my customers,” he said. “I probably have the widest demographics of any business in town, so it’s important I don’t discriminate. I cater to everyone from low income to a winery owner, from a local to a tourist.” Rodrigues keeps his finger on the pulse of the community and continues to add new product lines and services. In 2008, he created quite the buzz when he built a kitchen in the store and welcomed Clemente Cittoni, formerly of the locally famed Depot Restaurant. Clemente Italian Take Out at Val’s was born. Clemente brought with him history, tradition and his popular ravioli and malfatti. Recently Clemente and his take-out were highlighted in Sunset magazine. Rodrigues’ most recent change was a complete store remodel in December. “The store now has a more open floor plan and fifty percent more items than we had a year ago,” said Rodrigues. “The timing was right. We wouldn’t have had the same impact if we had done the remodel five years ago. We are meeting the needs of the new downtown Napa.” Besides premium spirits, bourbon, scotch, and specialty imported liqueurs, Val’s now offers sundry items and popular over-the-counter drugs, an expanded value-driven wine list, more craft beers and, soon, a new port section, as well as specialty foods. “I’m thrilled about what’s happening in the store,” said the energetic Rodrigues. “A lot of people rely on us to have what they need. If we don’t have it, we’ll get it. We specialize in personalized custom orders.” 1531 Third Street, Napa, 707.224.2237, www.valsliquors.com. Like them on Facebook to get updates on the latest additions to the store. NapaMap Insert.May-June 2014.indd 4
NVLife_MayJune_2014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above