Anyone who enjoys imbibing now and again will be happy to learn that Hazel’s Beverage World, a 35,000 square-foot liquor megastore, is set to open on June 29 on Boulder’s busy 28th Street. Housing more than 8,000 SKUs of wine, 2,000 choices of beer, and another 2,000 spirits, Hazel’s is poised to become Boulder County’s largest alcohol retailer, far surpassing long-time favorites such as Liquor Mart and Superior Liquor.

Integrity Retail Partners LLC—together with a team of primarily local investors lead by attorney Bruce Dierking and developer Jim Loftus—is behind Hazel’s. The project turns the now-defunct Ultimate Electronics into a gourmet market setting for all things alcoholic. (Anyone who has tried to navigate the tricky entrance to the nearby Black Pepper Pho will appreciate the store’s improved access off 28th Street, which was accomplished by razing the 30-year-old Wendy’s and adding a straight shot to the shopping plaza.)

And, if location is one of the keys to success, Hazel’s space across the street from the proposed Trader Joe's (and just around the corner from Boulder’s busy Whole Foods Market) is about as smart a move a liquor store could make.

1955 28th St., Boulder, 303-447-1955