Gary’s Wine & Marketplace to close Napa Valley store

Gary’s Wine & Marketplace plans to close its Napa Valley store “over the next few weeks” just short of four years after opening the St. Helena location.

The store at 607 St. Helena Highway, next door to Press restaurant, will be shutting down over the next few weeks, depending on details such as remaining inventory and negotiations with the property owner, according to General Manager Mario Hachiya. The store has 20 full-time employees.

The East Coast-based chain of wine shops announced in Instagram posts Wednesday and Thursday what led to this decision: “Despite our best efforts and due to factors beyond our control, including fires, the pandemic, and many other issues, sustaining our Napa Valley physical location has become increasingly challenging. We are truly saddened by this transition.”

The store was Gary’s first venture outside New Jersey, where the company will continue to operate its four wine shops. It also was a passion of founder Gary Fisch, who actively engaged in buying Napa Valley wine for the East Coast, including participation in the Premiere Napa Valley annual auction that for decades debuted notable local labels.

So, when Dean & DeLuca closed its St. Helena market, Fisch saw the opportunity and leased the location in July 2019. The Napa Valley store opened that October. Four years of repeated business blows followed, and the operation didn’t have the reserves to cover, Hachiya said.

“It's part of the reason that we're where we are today,” she said.

Public safety power shutoffs came the week after opening, that resulted in the loss of all perishables in the store. After restocking, there were more shutoffs. A few months after that the pandemic began combined with the massive Glass Fire in Napa Valley that fall.

Hachiya came on board in 2021 amid the loosening of pandemic restrictions, intending to help revive the store. But one of the challenges has been that both wine shops and the wineries they source from are selling the same type of product and are competing for workers with similar skill sets, she said.

“Our business depends on tourism, and the entire valley is really suffering,” Hachiya said.

Jeff Quackenbush covers wine, construction and real estate. Reach him at jquackenbush@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4256.