By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Don Weist stopped in at Diamonds Liquor in Sea Isle City the other day to pick up a case of Coors Light and a case of Miller Lite.
“It has everything. Whatever I need is always available,” Weist, who lives in Sea Isle, said of why he shops at Diamonds. “It’s convenient.”
Now, Diamonds Liquor has become more convenient. The store has added a mobile app, giving customers the ease of ordering online and having their beer, wine or liquor delivered to their doorstep.
Christopher Glancey, owner of Diamonds Liquor, said the app gives customers another option for making their purchases during the coronavirus pandemic.
“That’s been a COVID thing, moving more to online sales,” he explained.
Diamonds also offers the convenience of online orders through its website at diamondsliquor.com or by phone at (609) 263-8411. Deliveries made in Sea Isle are free.
“We’ve always had deliveries and orders by phone. But we created the website for online sales and the app was a natural fit for it, too,” Glancey said.
Diamonds upgraded its website in May and added the app at the same time. Customers have access to the store’s complete inventory in real time when they shop online.
“You don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home,” Glancey said.
Customers may also pick up their online orders at curbside, saving them from having to come inside the store.
Whether they order online or walk into the store at 4009 Landis Ave., customers will find Sea Isle’s largest selection of beer, wine, spirits and cigars. Diamonds Liquor touts itself as “Your pour, at the Shore.”
The inventory reflects the evolving national and local trends in the liquor and cigar business. For instance, Diamonds Liquor caught on early with the growing popularity of craft beers, Glancey noted.
“Craft beers are still growing,” he said.
A wide selection of craft beers, including brands from local breweries, fills the display case. Patrons who want to experiment with different brands of craft beer may customize their own six-packs.
What is really sizzling these days are the hard seltzers, such as White Claw, Glancey pointed out. Their exploding popularity is linked to the bubbly beverage craze that has taken hold in the liquor industry in the last couple of years.
“They have exploded to the point that there are shortages,” Glancey said of the manufacturers struggling to keep up with the demand for some hard seltzers.
Traditional types of liquor such as whiskey and rum have also made a comeback in recent years. They remain popular among Sea Isle’s vacationers by providing the ingredients for summery drinks.
“At the end of the day, we’re still an island. When people are here, they still want to have beachy drinks,” Glancey said.
Diamonds Liquor also stocks an array of chilled wines to cater to the customers who enjoy another trend in the summer vacation resort – dining out at Sea Isle’s BYOB restaurants.
Although cigarette smoking has declined nationwide, the growing popularity of cigar smoking, particularly among younger men, is another way Diamonds has adapted to emerging trends in the marketplace.
For occasional smokers, cigar aficionados and everyone in between, Diamonds offers Sea Isle’s biggest selection of premium cigars and pipe tobacco in its climate-controlled humidors. It has more than 100 varieties of cigars.
Diamonds Liquor is located at 4009 Landis Ave. in Sea Isle City. For more information, visit diamondsliquor.com or call (609) 263-8411.
