Small Liquor Store Interior Design: 9 Creative Ideas

Want to move more bottles and win over new customers? Craft a liquor store interior as rich as your wine offerings.

An artfully arranged, welcoming setting gets new customers through your doors, turning one-time shoppers into regular connoisseurs. 

But if you fail to elevate that dull, personality-devoid interior, you allow your competitors to steal your customers by offering a better in-store experience.

Just as an exquisite wine label promises exceptional quality inside, an elevated interior entices and delights patrons as soon as they enter. 

In this article, we’ll share nine ideas for boosting your liquor store’s interior design and crafting compelling liquor displays, so you can create an experience your customers savor.

Ideas for Creating a Stunning Small Liquor Store Interior Design 

As a liquor store owner, the interior design of your retail space is just as crucial as your inventory. Unlike typical convenience stores, your ideal shoppers seek the right atmosphere to match the premium spirits and wines you stock. What benefits can you enjoy when you create the right small liquor store interior design in your store?

First, the right interior design makes a memorable first impression. Customers looking for high-end spirits will appreciate certain design choices, while wine connoisseurs may seek a different energy from your store. Take time to understand your ideal customer before making your design choices.

Related Read: How To Open a Wine Store [Expert Tips]

Another benefit of strong design is that it encourages exploration. When customers feel comfortable in your liquor store, they’ll be less likely to just grab the bottle they came for and check out. When shopping in your store feels like an experience, they’ll be more likely to take time to peruse your shelves and may decide to pick up an extra bottle or two to try. 

Finally, a well-thought-out store design shows visitors they’re shopping somewhere special. The right design choices can reinforce your product quality. Think of it this way: Are customers more likely to buy a $100 bottle of scotch from a classy, well-designed establishment or a dirty corner store with mismatched shelving and flickering lights? Remember: The atmosphere you create wins customer loyalty almost as much as your product mix.  

With this in mind, let’s run through nine creative ideas you might consider for your small liquor store interior design. 

1. Spotlight Ornate Bottles 

Chances are you have some particularly interesting liquor bottles in your collection. Our first design tip is to draw attention to these more ornate, artistic bottles by making them focal points in your store.

Implement backlit display shelving to show off your limited-release liquors and top-shelf offerings. Not only will the lighting highlight the bottles themselves, but it will help show off the liquid inside, making it glow and drawing the eye. 

Showcasing your most visually interesting products intrigues consumers, makes high-end spirits more approachable, and showcases your curated collection.

Examples: vintage bourbon editions, limited tequila releases

2. Incorporate Wine Barrel Fixtures 

Do you have a large wine selection in your liquor store, or cater to a largely wine-loving audience? Consider using repurposed wine barrels as artistic, design, and furniture elements in your store. 

These repurposed materials add some soul to your store’s design while honoring the craft of winemaking. Rustic custom shelving made from reclaimed oak barrels feels welcoming and may encourage customers to spend more time examining the wines in your collection. 

Related Read: Creating a Wine Inventory System: 7 Tips and Tools

The natural grain patterns of wine barrels offer an intriguing visual texture that grounds the setting, giving your store a more old-world, cozy feeling.

Examples: custom shelving, wooden tabletops

3. Showcase Vintage Label Art or Prints

Capture your customers’ attention with framed artwork of vintage liquor label designs. These designs often featured playful motifs and bold colors. The older designs will spark nostalgia for older guests and elevate your store in the eyes of younger patrons. 

When you intersperse these images alongside actual bottles and modern ads for the same products, you can provide visual intrigue while celebrating the long history of alcohol marketing and advertising. The right artwork can transform blank wall space into captivating focal points in your store, so don’t let those spaces sit empty! 

Examples: historical absinthe posters, retro rum advertisements

Related Read: Display, Layout, and More: 3 Liquor Store Design Ideas To Inspire You

4. Design a Craft Spirits Sampling Station

Sampling stations and tasting events are a tried-and-true marketing method for a reason: They’re effective. 

Customers will appreciate the chance to try new gin infusions or small-batch vodkas from passionate local businesses before investing in a whole bottle. So, make the most out of your store layout by designating a craft spirits sampling station. This dedicated nook lets you showcase regional distilleries or new products from larger companies and spirit-makers.

Staff engagement is critical when setting up a sampling station. Engaged staff can help boost sales by educating customers on flavor notes and distinctions during guided tastings. Also, be sure to post signage outlining upcoming features and schedules. This value-added area promotes discovery, positions your team as trusted advisors, and encourages experimental purchases.

Examples: regional gin distilleries, small-batch vodka creators

5. Include Educational Elements 

Customers may be hesitant to branch out from what they know. You can counter this tendency by creating reference guides to help build liquor fluency among your customers. When customers understand what they’re shopping for, they’ll feel more comfortable exploring new categories in your store. 

Display whiskey flavor wheels to help decode tasting notes or post cocktail recipe cards to give combinations for classic drinks, while showcasing which of your bottles work best in those products. Even simple category navigational signage goes a long way in reducing choice paralysis and helping with liquor store promotion.

Examples: aroma wheels, cocktail mixology cards

6. Curate Themed Sections 

On the subject of reducing customer overwhelm, you can help boost purchases by creating convenient, themed sections. Organizing inventory by themes tailored to seasonal trends or customer interests can make your inventory selection more digestible and help guide customers toward new choices in their favorite category.

A showcase of rare single malt scotches beckons aficionados to inspect your prestigious casks. A section of local craft beers appeals to experimental hipsters. Signposts flagging categories like 90+ IBU domestics or gluten-removed sorghum spirits can help customers navigate to the products that interest them most. Spotlighting specialty subgenres intrigues target buyers and helps them discover new favorites in your collection.  

Examples: old world scotches, local craft beers

7. Use Chandeliers From Upcycled Bottles 

Suspended overhead string lighting made from empty bottles can be a fun way to show creativity through your decor. The refractive glass of the empty bottles creates a warm, ambient glow for your store. Additionally, showcasing these upcycled pieces shows your commitment to sustainability and helps position your store as a conscientious business. 

You can create your chandelier to match the offerings or energy of your store. A chandelier made of beer bottles may fit a more casual energy, whereas a light fixture made from wine glasses or specialty bourbon bottles may be more upscale. 

8. Use Textured Wall Materials 

One of the simplest ways to elevate the design of your store is to implement texture on your walls. Thinking beyond simple drywall helps to create more dimension in your store and gives it a cozier or higher-class appearance, depending on your texture of choice. 

Exposed original brick can help your store feel like a storied part of your community. Incorporating reclaimed wood panels salvaged from deconstructed barns offers organic texture and somehow feels both cozy and airy. 

Examples: exposed brick, distressed wood panels

9. Incorporate Neon Signage 

Finally, if you’re looking to create a livelier atmosphere in your store, you may incorporate eye-catching neon signs in your store. 

Stores filled with liquors and cocktail mixers meant for social gatherings and celebrations can benefit from the energy neon signs bring to any interior. Consider implementing a larger, custom neon piece behind the counter for a signature focal point, making your store memorable and welcoming customers into your store — and the party. 

When done tastefully, neon complements the glow of your spirit bottles, setting a dynamic and playful mood and brightening your store. 

Examples: backlit brand logos, artfully bent tube sculptures

Beyond Liquor Store Interior Design: Elevate More Than Just Your Interiors 

These nine tips can help you craft a small liquor store interior design that welcomes customers into your store and sets the stage for an incredible experience. However, if you want to earn those customers’ loyalty and grow your business, you need more than style — you need substance for your store. 

And few things will sour a customer’s impression of your store faster than long lines, cluttered registers, out-of-stocks, and other inventory and checkout woes. The right point of sale solution can mitigate these challenges, giving every customer the best possible experience in your store.

POS Nation offers a point of sale solution tailored to small and mid-sized businesses. Our solution helps with inventory management, age verification, flexible payments, and reporting. Schedule a free demo of our software solution today to see how our system can improve your workflow and help you maximize the impact of your small liquor store interior design by maximizing sales potential.