Flintridge Beverage Store

closed

Unless you pay very, very close attention whilst wandering Foothill Boulevard, you’ll miss this place. It’s a nondescript little white building with a reflective front window, so you can’t see the interior unless you get up close. And the sign above the business has «liquor» written in small, cursive letters, and otherwise simply says the nondescript «Josie’s Place». There is nothing at all that indicates this place to be a liquor store.
But get inside and OH BOY.
Taking a complete departure from the general blue-​collar sliminess of liquor/​convenience stores, the place is impeccably clean. Dark wood-​panel décor gives it more the feel of a wine bar than a retail store. The refrigerator cases are shiny and polished, and snacks are displayed in tasteful straw-​laden apple barrels, rather than crammed onto shelves.
The selection is unique and interesting. Despite the wine bar look, the place is taken up mostly by beer and soft drinks, with the prime display wall reserved for hard liquors (One or two bottles of each, neatly arranged and displayed. You ask for what you want and they’ll get it from the back – no pull-​em-​off-​the-​shelf clutter). The store carries a good selection of beers, and seems to opt for multiple varieties from a few smaller breweries rather than a lot of different eclectic brands.
I expected prices to be jacked up a bit due to the La Canada location and the store’s somewhat upscale/​hidden «specialty» store atmosphere, but they weren’t bad, and the one guy manning the counter was actually just a regular, friendly enough dude.
In summary, a refreshingly clean, interesting and unique little hidden gem in the world of convenience stores. I’ll definitely look to this place for future business over the paranoid and tasteless old coots at Le Petit Vendome down the street.