Sitara Liquor is Lake Country's newest neighbourhood liquor store

Photo: Contributed

Sitara Liquor has opened in the Lakes neighbourhood in Lake Country.

West Kelowna’s loss is Lake Country’s gain.

After seven years operating in West Kelowna, Sitara Liquor has relocated to Lake Country, establishing itself as the neighbourhood liquor store in the growing Lakes neighbourhood.

The 1,100-square-foot store, which carries a large selection of domestic and imported beers, wines and spirits, opened in late November after its very successful run in West Kelowna.

According to manager Katherine McIlravey, the store—owned and operated by Herkoules Katountas—relocated to Lake Country after the lease expired at the former location.

After failing to find a new location on the Westside of Okanagan Lake, an opportunity came up to relocate to Lake Country and the potential of the new location was immediately recognized.

Hercules Katountas has a passion for the hospitality business, being the son of the owner of a popular restaurant in Nelson growing up and then opening his own restaurant and liquor store there 20 years ago. When he sold the business and moved to the Okanagan, he opened the store in West Kelowna’s Shannon Lake neighbourhood.

McIlravey said the store in Lake Country hopes to be an anchor for future commercial development in the Lakes area, which already has more than 3,300 homes.

“It’s going to be a great location,” said McIlravey. “People are already walking by all day, noticing we are now open and stopping by to say hi.”

She said she and her staff, along with the owner, are looking forward to meeting more locals and providing them with the same high level of service, knowledge and products that they did for customers in West Kelowna.

“Right now, we are letting people know we are here and what we have to offer,” she said, adding she and her staff love to get to know their customers in order to provide them not only with what they want but also to help them discover new wines, beers and spirits and introduce them to new products.

In addition to its large selection and competitive prices, Sitara Liquor also plans to feature specials, a reward points program, in-store displays and tastings in future and plans to keep its stock as local as possible, featuring about 60 percent B.C. wines.

The new reward points program will offer customers one point for every $1 spent at the store, which, in turn, can be redeemed to get money off future purchases.

Sitara Liquor is located at unit 104 -2611 Stillwater Way in Lake Country and is currently open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and weekends.

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