Business & Tech

New Cigar, Liquor Store Opens Its Doors in Downtown Eureka

The owners of Red Door Liquors and Cigars are hoping they can offer a better browsing experience with a space for tastings and other events.

Red Door Liquors and Cigars, which opened in early April, is aiming to be more than just a liquor store where you can pick up a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer.

“We want to help our customers drink smarter,” said Bobbi Pearson, one of the owners of the Eureka business.

That mission is represented in what she and the other co-owners said is the variety in their offerings, which expands beyond the usual stock of Budweiser and Captain Morgan.

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There’s craft beer, bourbon, scotch and even a spirit or two from local distillers, but also a small bar area that is being used for free tastings and pre-paid events, plus a walk-in humidor for cigar aficionados.

The business is actually the creation of two couples, Karen and Guy Bopp, and Bobbi and Jerry Pearson. It’s also not the first liquor store to occupy the property.

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Since 1975, it had been home to Ty’s Liquor, but the owner, Karen Turnbo, passed away several years ago. The foursome purchased the building in 2011 and originally intended to merely give it a thorough makeover.

“We thought we could rehab it, but it was like putting lipstick on a pig,” said Bobbi Pearson.

Instead, they decided to start from scratch. Although the original building was torn down, Karen Bopp said the brand new structure that replaced it is meant to have a vintage feel that fits in with the rest of Eureka’s downtown.

They settled on a liquor store in part because they wanted to something they think is lacking in the Eureka area. At the time of Karen Turnbo’s death, Ty’s Liquor was the only store of its kind in the entire town.

However, they also said it’s in response to the growing trend of people wanting to know more about what they are eating and drinking. 

“I think people are tired of the same old, same old,” Jerry Pearson added.


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