SIGHTS
Barrels on display, wood floors with mud mats, whiteboards with specials written on them, posters advertising liquor brands, grocery baskets for carrying one’s purchases, pricing signs, trendy décor plaques (There’s always time for a glass of wine!), display cases holding bottles of liquor, floor-to-ceiling racks filled with bottles (whiskey, bourbon, vodka, wine, beer, tequila, fruit mixers, rum, gin, port, cognac), a sliding ladder for reaching the top shelves, a refrigerated case holding six-packs of beer, open crates with liquor bottles in them, boxes of wine stacked up as sale displays, wine bottles arranged by certain criteria (brand, the location of the winery, types of wine), a wall map of vineyards around the world, a wine tasting table (bottles of wine, a pail of ice, a corkscrew, wine glasses, an employee pouring samples, customers swirling wine and sniffing it), a delivery area in the back, a checkout desk with accessories for sale (corkscrews, champagne stoppers, stem tags, shot glasses, pour spouts, tall gift bags, flashing freezable ice cubes and gel glassware), liquor-themed books for sale
SOUNDS
A chime sounding as the door opens, customers asking questions, an office phone ringing, shoes clacking across the floor, bottles clinking together as customers turn labels or remove product from the shelf, crates scraping over the floor, the whoosh of motion sensor doors leading into the cooler room, music playing over the store speakers, a ladder sliding along its rails, wine being poured into a glass, an employee telling a customer about the wine that’s being tasted, plastic bags rustling, the ding of a cash register, traffic noise from the sidewalk outside (a skateboard rolling by, shoes on the pavement, conversation between employees on a smoke break, shrill children’s voices)
SMELLS
Wine being poured into a bottle, the sour smell of beer when a bottle is broken, cleaning supplies, muddy floor mats on a rainy day
TASTES
Besides a wine being tasted, this setting has no specific tastes associated with it beyond what the character might bring into the scene (chewing gum, mints, lipstick, cigarettes, etc.). For scenes like these, where specific tastes are sparse, it would be best to stick to descriptors from the other four senses.
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
Shoes clacking over the wood or tile floor, the weight of a grocery basket pulling on one’s arm, smooth liquor bottles, swirling a glass of wine during a tasting, bulbous cognac bottles, heavy boxes of wine, carrying a bottle of wine by its long neck, balancing a few bottles in the crook of one’s arm, stepping carefully around a spill, tugging on cooler case handles to grab a six-pack of cold beer, dropping a wine bottle and being sprayed with liquid and glass pieces
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Dropping an expensive bottle of wine or port
Knocking over a display
Inner conflict in the form of guilt as one battles an addiction
Being in charge of bringing the wine to an event and buying the wrong kind
An armed robbery
Employees sampling the goods
An earthquake that causes widespread breakage
Employee theft being passed off as bottle breakage
Minors paying an adult to buy alcohol for them and getting caught
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
A manager, customers, delivery people, liquor reps, store employees, the storeowner
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Rural Volume: Wine cellar, winery
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Liquor stores come in various sizes and conditions. Some are high-end, with expensive products and décor. Others are smaller and shabbier with little floor space and simple inventories. Still others might focus on a certain product like wines or specialty spirits or deal in low-end bulk sales. Liquor stores can be located in trendy neighborhoods or on seedy side streets; some may hold special events such as wine or port tastings, liquor infusions, or cocktail mixing. As with so many settings, the kind of store you choose for your story will depend largely on your character. Consider her needs and the kind of store she might frequent when choosing this setting.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
The door jingled and I looked up, barely catching a glimpse of frizzy brown hair as a customer I’d never seen barreled toward the back of the store. A flash of sequins, heels pounding the tile like pissed off post drivers, and that was it. The door to the refrigerated case slid open, then slammed shut so hard, the Merlots on the shelf next to it rattled. Both her footsteps and her muttering grew louder before she reappeared, sliding a six-pack of beer and a bottle of Jose Cuervo on the counter. Her cheeks were flushed and tears had tracked mascara all down her face. I opened my mouth to make sure she was okay but snapped it shut as she leveled a glare at me.
Techniques and Devices Used: Multisensory descriptions, simile
Resulting Effects: Hinting at backstory, reinforcing emotion