Maroon Spirits: It's all in the name for Blackwell liquor store's second life

by Charles Gerian

Blackwell has a new way to celebrate its hometown Maroon Spirit. Maroon Spirits is taking over Blackwell liquor store Southside Spirits, which was located on south Main Street before relocating to west Doolin Avenue. Ryan Brown and wife, Brooke, operate Maroon Spirits, which was rebranded and reopened before Homecoming.

Brown is a firefighter with the Blackwell Fire Department, and he said his goal is to build the liquor store back up and give back to his community. “We’re really excited to bring Maroon Spirits to Blackwell,” Ryan Brown said.

“We hope that the people in Blackwell welcome us.” “The supply chain is insane right now,” Brooke Brown said.

“So, it might not look like we have a lot to offer, but we’re facing the same problems that a lot of other stores are right now. Everything is still backed up from the pandemic.”

“It’s hard even to get tequila, specifically. Once we get a shipment, it’s sold out almost immediately. So, we hope our customers are understanding of that.” Ryan Brown said he looks forward to becoming involved in the community once the business is established.

“We are eager to have people coming back in and helping us to curate a great selection of liquor, wine and beer that they want to see,” Ryan Brown said. “We are offering friendly fees right now, and once that supply chain starts coming back to us, we hope that customers are ready for fully stocked shelves and products offered at a great price.”

Maroon Spirits is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and will have alternating hours to accommodate for holiday rushes as well. The store currently offers wine, beers, liquor and kegs.

Over Homecoming weekend, the store offered a 10% discount on all liquor sales and was open until midnight on Friday. “The name came from our desire to be part of Blackwell's roots and legacy,” Ryan Brown said. “We really hope people enjoy it. We’ve gotten great feedback on it so far.” The store is getting new signage and soon will be repainted on the inside to match the name.