Owned and operated by certified sommelier Bryan Thames and his wife, Felicity, Mountain Village Wine Merchant (MVWM) opened on the ground floor of the Westermere building in the summer of 2022. On May 1, the couple purchased and began operating Telluride Liquors, a Main Street mainstay for more than 40 years.

“The Main Street business will be more wine-centric,” said Bryan. “But we’re still keeping a good selection of beer and liquors for a one-stop shopping experience.”

Bryan added that MVWM is already “wine-centric,” given not only his sommelier expertise but also because of the wine connoisseurs who shop there.

“We’re trying to get people more wine savvy and curious to come shop with us,” he explained. “The clientele in Telluride is a mix of locals and a lot of tourists who go for bigger national liquor brands, especially beers, whereas we sell more boutique brands up at MVWM, especially wines.”

With approximately 1,800 usable square feet of retail space, Telluride Liquors has seen at least six owners. In 1991, Steve Gumble bought the business, then located in a tiny space on W. Colorado Ave., before moving to its current space at 123 E. Colorado Ave. in 1994.

“I purchased the business from Al Loft who purchased it from Carol Chowen who had an infamous gray cat in the store called Barney,” recalled Gumble. “Jake the Boozehound — my black lab — took over and announced weekly specials in the paper.”

In 2006, Gumble sold Telluride Liquors to Aaron Tschetter, who eventually sold it to Fred Latimer in 2010. Thames was seeking to expand their liquor business and started conversations with Latimer to buy the store a couple years ago because of its appealing Main Street location.

“The timing just felt right, and with Bryan and Felicity’s energy and expertise, I believe the store is in a great place,” Latimer affirmed. “I’ll miss hanging out on Main Street, which is the best people watching in the world.”

With high foot traffic at the Telluride shop, Felicity said they offer “everything from your one can of Coke to a case of burgundy.”

“We also want to bring a good wine program with a variety of affordable wines to locals on Main Street,” she added. “Bryan is especially good at recommending great wines at a range of price points. That’s going to be the most exciting thing about the new store: We’re making wine more approachable.”

There are far more transactions in a single day on Main Street than there are at MVWM.

“The Town of Mountain Village is very pro-business,” Bryan pointed out. “They really want people up there, so they host events like farmers markets and the concert series to attract visitors.”

MVWM has taken advantage of the Sunset Concert Series and Market on the Plaza by hosting wine tastings each Wednesday from 4-6 p.m. through mid-October.

MVWM also sells olive oils, caviar, cheese and charcuterie, which may eventually be available at the Telluride shop.

Once summer is over, Bryan and Felicity plan to host regular wine, liquor and beer tastings at the Main Street store, just as they do up at MVWM. They will also begin operating an online ecommerce store at Telluridewinemerchant.com in the coming weeks.

“We get great turnouts for wine tastings in MV,” Bryan said. “While there’s an active wine club in MV, we’re not committing to that in Telluride just yet.”

In charge of day-to-day operations, Bryan will eventually split on-site time between MV and Telluride but has been spending most of his time lately attending to opening the Mains Street shop — painting, moving coolers and installing sharp awnings with the new business name: Telluride Wine Merchant.

Three liquor stores operating in Telluride naturally creates competition.

“We want to distinguish ourselves with our customer service, wine selection, free delivery, and consistent and competitive pricing,” Bryan explained.

TMW is already offering a local points program where customers’ accrued points from purchases earn money off new purchases.

Bryan has already seen impacts from the Trump Administration’s new tariffs on liquor — especially from European countries and South Africa — with prices on those products up 20%. Nevertheless, customers continue to buy European liquors in both stores, though Bryan added that they’ve always done well selling California wines.

Bryan also operates Telluride Wine Consultants, where he visits peoples’ wine cellars to estimate the wines’ value, makes recommendations for additional wine purchases, helps sell off wines, and even recommends when wines need to be consumed before they’re “over the hill.”

“Don’t wait for the anniversary or the birthday, just make the wine the occasion,” he advised.

“There are a lot of new homes being built with wine cellars, and people want Bryan to come in to consult and fill them,” Felicity added.

Telluride Wine Merchant is open daily from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Call 970-728-3380 for questions and assistance until Telluridewinemerchant.com is up and running in the next few weeks.

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