Fine Wines and Spirits at Harrison Wine Vault

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. This series is as much about supporting companies as it is about celebrating the places and faces that make our community special.

Our spotlight today is on Anthony and Carly D’Arpino of Harrison Wine Vault.

Business: Harrison Wine Vault
Owners: Anthony & Carly D’Arpino
Website: www.harrisonwinevault.com
Address: 289 Halstead Ave, Harrison, NY
Contact_Info: Carly- 914-835-0125, info@harrisonwinevault.com

How did you come up with the name?
The space we took over is a former bank and we utilize the bank vault to showcase some of our old vintages and very special wines. We also wanted to use the name of the town as part of our name so their was no confusion as to where we were located.

Why choose that location? Why start a business in this town?
We looked for a location to open a wine store for a few years. When we saw the space we immediately knew it would make a unique and special wine store. The corner space and floor to ceiling windows is very inviting to customers. We live close to Harrison and knew it would be a great town to start a business in.

Briefly, what business are you in?
Fine Wine & Spirits

What’s the most difficult moment or challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?
The most difficult part is finding enough time during the day to get your work done. As a business owner you need to wear a lot of different hats and be in a lot of different places at once

Were there any challenges that made you second guess your decision to be an entrepreneur?
We have a young family (a 3 year old and 3 month old) and it is sometimes hard balancing family life with the store. On the flip side owning your own businessgives you the flexibility to go to the playground in the middle of the day!

What’s been your favorite moment or proudest achievement since opening?
Their are many moments that we have that make us proud of our business. Perhaps some of the best are when customers thank us for opening and for being in Harrison. Also when a customer returns to the store to thank us for our wine suggestions. We pride ourselves in hiring a very knowledgable staff and it is nice when people appreciate our staff. It was a dream of mine to have one of the largest Whiskey selections in NY and I am proud to say we are on our way to achieving that goal. When our Whiskey Room opened up that was another proud achievement. We are quickly becoming known as a premier Whiskey destination-we even have customers drive from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania to see our selection!

What’s the most innovative idea your employees or customers have had that you put into practice?
We decided to host FREE bi-monthly wine classes to educate our customers on different types of wine & whiskey.

How do you deal with difficult customers?
We are very lucky our customers are great

How does your business give back or get involved in the community?
We host fundraising wine & whiskey events at the store to raise money for local charities such as the Carver Center, Pet Rescue, and Friends of Harrison Library.

The plan behind this series at Patch is to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

This is as much about supporting local businesses as it is about celebrating the places and faces that make our community special.

Click here to get to a simple form where local business owners can answer a few quick questions to be part of this ongoing feature.