Meet Sarah Jarrach | Owner, B Town Wine and Spirits

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Jarrach and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Two of my best strengths are my communication and my organization but I think the thing that matters the most is the sense of community that has been fostered at my store. I have a small staff and very little turnover so over time we get to know not just our customers palates and preferences but get to know them as people. At our weekly wine tasting events (every Friday from 4-7pm) neighbors now walk to the store together and people see a lot of the same faces over the week. We jokingly refer to it as “Boulder Social Hour” now and the shop is filled with laughter and storytelling.

I also try to “de-snobbify” wine by making it approachable, easy to understand and I truly believe that there is good wine at every price point. I take my job of finding those incredibly seriously. I hand pick six wines each month and write them up and over the years my customers have grown to trust those wines. I have had people tell me that they know they can buy whatever is in my newsletter and enjoy it without having to scour the shelves for dinner parties or weddings.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I got interested in wine when I was only 19 years old while working in the restaurant industry. I read a ton of wine theory and learned an incredible amount before I could ever drink. I got a part time job at Superior Liquor Market when I was 22 with the wine department as a stocker. At the time the entire wine department would taste wine with the sales reps so I rapidly got exposed to all of the wines I had only ever read about. I quickly passed the first level with the Court of Master Sommeliers and took and passed the second level, the Certified Sommelier the next year. When I was 24 a buyer position opened up at Superior Liquor Market and just a couple of years later the opportunity to be the sole buyer and General Manager at B Town Wine and Spirits became available. It was incredibly difficult to take the leap and leave Superior and I have learned so many things on the road from manager to general manager to owner.

I got through it by tackling one thing at a time and asking for help. I push myself very hard but I know when I need to ask for help. We have slow parts of the year in the alcohol industry and sometimes it seems like I am busier in that time than anything else prepping, researching and planning for what is next.

With the changes in the industry with more chain stores coming to the state and wine being available in grocery stores I want people to know that we are an independent, small business. Not just my store, but local liquor stores everywhere are locally owned, small businesses. If we are going to survive we need your support!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love hiking and my husband and I spend most of our weekends on trails. We would definitely have to start with breakfast at Parkway Cafe in Boulder or burritos as Locos Hermanos in Louisville before heading to Staunton State Park to hike. Lunch and margaritas at Lulu’s BBQ or Outer Range Brewing in Frisco (can’t beat the view!!) before a chill evening in my very favorite place, my own backyard. The Denver Botanic gardens could work too.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Too many people to mention! I have been fortunate to have many incredible mentors over the years, starting with Dana Eastman when I was working at the Omni Hotel. I was very young , too young to drink even and he saw my curiosity about wine and fostered it, answering endless questions and offering me book suggestions. Chris Lamson gave me my first job in wine retail when I was only 22 years old and when I got promoted to buyer he taught me (almost) everything I know. Yvan Lehuerou hired me as the GM at B Town Wine and Spirits over 6 years ago and taught me how to be a business owner but more importantly how to treat my customers and employees. He sold me the store in April 2023.

Website: https://btownwineandspirits.com

Instagram: btownwine.spirits

Facebook: B Town Wine + Spirits

Image Credits
World Media Gallery