Stearns Liquor Bixby

The pricing on their top shelf items was a bit ridiculous, but they had the whiskey I needed that the big chains didn’t. Like some other reviewers, they seemed a bit suspicious about me browsing. I’ll go back to total wines where I can browse as long as I like.

I thought it was just me.
As a salesperson I’m often greeted in an unfriendly manner. I’m used to it. When I went into Stearns and introduced myself, the owner/​manager very rudely and very loudly said «I’m not interested and I’ve got customers» at which point he turned and walked past me. Like I said, as a salesperson I’m used to it. But after reading some of the other comments here, I can see this is how they treat people in general.
The sad part is, I live in the community and I and members of my family have shopped there. But they obviously don’t care about losing business.

I work a couple buildings behind them so I visit every once in a while for a cold soda as don’t drink .
The sodas are some of the coldest in town and they hit the spot when needed. This would be a 4 star review if it wasn’t for one thing about this location… the customer service or lack there of.
Every time I enter here I hardly even get a greeting and I even get a stare as if I am
Going to rob the place or something. I know my $ 2 aren’t gonna exactly make you rich but as a customer a proper customer service experience would be appreciated. There is only one guy and one girl who consistently treat you like a customer and not someone asking for a hand out. I got what looks like an owner /​manager always on the phone and receiving orders while in using my lunch time to buy from here .
You guys have a great location filled with great products so maybe you should act like it.

Felt like a kid in a candy store!
You want quality booze? You’ve come to the right place. You want quality wine, scotch, rum, tequila, whiskey? Good, you’re here. You need some cases of Bud or Coors Light for a BBQ? Go down the street to Von’s.
I was impressed that they had a ton of scotch (esp. Maccallan) and Jameson rare cask (but more in my budget would be Black Barrel). Layout is completely different than from the old Cherry Liquor (cash register is near the middle of the store).
Jameson Black Barrel was ~$ 60 and I know it’s $ 50 but you’re buying from a neighborhood boutique liquor store (the nearest BevMo is 7 miles away, but you do get substantial savings if you’re a club member).
Still, great place to check out the stock and «ooh» and «aah» over quality spirits.

I agree with the 1 star review below. People usually pay more to shop with small business, not only to show support, but because the service is expected to be better. By far, this was the worst experience I’ve ever had at a store, small business or large corporate chain. I walked in and felt like I was in craft beer and whiskey heaven… Even though I was the only customer in the store, there was no friendly greeting or acknowledgement by the employee or manager/​owner. No big deal. I usually prefer to be left alone to shop in peace, but it is a stark contrast to the neighborhood friendly feeling that is Bixby Knolls. I wanted to ask if they carried any Sculpin IPAs, but before I could even finish my first word… the manager or owner? says, «yeah yeah yeah what do you want???» Are you kidding me? I’m trying to give you business and given that I tend to drink 4 – 6 beers daily, I would’ve been a regular customer. Instead, I walked out and will continue giving my money to Trader Joe’s and local bars.

From verticles of vintage Opus, some of the finest single malts anywhere, or a daily drinker for an short notice BBQ… AND insane cigar selection… this place is awesome.

Second cousin to the awesome Stearns liqour on Stearns and Lakewood, the have an excellent selection of beer, winw, and liqour. Average prices but the selection makes it the closest thing to a Bevmo or Total Wine in the area

Have you ever felt small? As if you don’t feel valued as a human being?
It is an awful feeling. In contrast, to receive validation as an employee, family member, or even as a consumer can have long lasting positive effects.
My wife and I used to live in the Bixby Knolls area and greatly enjoyed shopping and dining at the many fine establishments that are located along Atlantic Ave. We are currently moving back into the neighborhood due to its convenient location between my job and my wife’s employment.
While looking for a new apartment along Carson St. I was trying to find parking and decided to quickly park in the tiny lot located in front of Stearns Liquor Bixby and the Flower Mart (north east corner of Carson St. and Atlantic Ave.). My intention was to park there for no more than a few minutes while I was trying write down the phone number on a «for rent» sign posted at a nearby apartment building. After quickly parking, I was walking east on Carson St. and was immediately challenged by the presumed owner/​employee of Stearns Liquor Bixby.
The man stated to me, «Where do you think you’re going? Are you going to just leave your car there?»
After a brief pause, I swallowed all my pride, gave the man a brief nod and moved my vehicle.
This employee could have politely explained that parking was limited and calmly request me to park my vehicle elsewhere. How many retail stores would consider angrily defending their territory more important than neighbor relations?
The whole interaction stank to me. It was clear no one was going to buy liquor at that store at noon, on a Monday. I am a potential customer that was looking to move next door and would have likely shopped at this Liquor store many times.
Simply, the man cared more about that parking spot than he cared about me. Considering this establishment is new to the area, one would think the employees would care about the community’s perception of a small business. In fact, why does anyone visit a small business instead a big chain store or the internet? It is for the one-​on-​one, personal service you receive at well-​run small businesses.
This liquor store offers little more than I would normally get at a grocery store or BevMo (trader joes is just down the street, an example of a major grocery chain that shows customer appreciation).
The employee that challenged me, cared very little about my potential business. In his mind ‘1 person turned away=1 potential customer’. It was apparent I did not matter to him.
This is flawed logic. 1 person=1,000 potential customers.
Each of us has value as a consumer and we share with our friends, family, and strangers on the internet ( Unilocal) our experiences and feelings. I look at Unilocal constantly to determine where I shop and eat, because I genuinely care what other people have to say. I trust the people that live in my community.
Trust me. .. when I say that if you need to buy alcohol, just go somewhere else.
Let us empower each other and cast our vote by giving our hard-​earned dollars to businesses that reflect the values we all share.
Thank you and have a blessed day.

I was excited when seeing this place open up as I am a big fan of the original one on Stearns. I bought (2) tall bottles for $ 18, pretty pricey but expected for a liquor store. Ended up being a little disappointed though once getting home. One of the beers smelled completely spoiled and was undrinkable. The other had a brew date that was almost a year old and was lacking in taste as well. I am hoping stocking old beer isn’t a regular part of business plan. Will try again as the selection here is great!

Great prices on some bottles, over priced on others. Okay selection of sour beers but research your prices before coming in. Some beers don’t have any pricetags on them, ask for price before buying.
Owner is really proud of his store and says you won’t find certain beers in his store in any other store but that’s not true. All the rare beers they stock can be found in other liquor stores around los angeles and the san gabriel valley but stearns is probably one of the few good liquor stores in the long beach area for craft beer. Worth a visit, but know what you’re looking for.

Really glad this place opened up! Has a great selection of craft beers and even a wine area. Rodrigo was the guy that helped me out and he was super friendly and pointed me in the right direction in terms of finding the beer I was looking for. Call ahead and if they have anything from the long beach store they’ll be able to bring it over. Check out their Facebook page as well for any updates. The store is right on the corner of Carson and Atlantic.

So happy to see Stearns get a second location! Their craft beer selection is superb along with the wine & spirits. You can even follow them on Instagram to see what’s new: stearnsbixby!
The previous owner ran this place down and they’re going to work on making it like new again. Can’t wait to see what develops!