Chris McGilvray

Just a few hours after the incident: this is the damage the owners had to face.

On October 27 at 12:30AM local business Longmont Liquors faced a tragedy. 

An impaired individual crashed into the front of the small shop – located on 2nd and Main in Longmont. The individual attempted to flee the scene and, in doing so, ran into a police officer’s car.  

Co-Owner Stephanie McGilvray said, “the impact of the crash caused everything in the store to move forward and also bowed out the side of the building.” 

She said that thousands of dollars worth of inventory, mostly red wine, was soaked into the floor that night.

Co-Owner Chris McGilvray said that the entire situation was frustrating but he remains optimistic. 

He said, “these things happen, and you have to be resilient. It’s how you respond to situations like these that build character.”

There were several challenges the McGilvrays had to face in the aftermath of the incident. 

Stephanie said that they were robbed in the process of cleaning the store and getting it back to its normal state. 

“They took advantage of the situation and [were] masked. They came in twice to take the product. It was a very vulnerable feeling for my husband.” 

However, the Longmont community was very eager to assist with getting the store back to its normal state, as the McGilvray’s family and their community came to show support. 

“We were grateful to see how many people were willing to come in and help us.” Chris said.

Opening and operating a small business often comes with significant obstacles. 

“There are countless challenges that we have faced in business and we are not an anomaly. There’s burglaries, theft, and business regulations that make it difficult to sustain a competitive advantage in the market. We have always approached these challenges with a deep sense of gratitude,” Chris said.

The owners said that while the situation has been frustrating, they are proud of how they responded and are grateful for the support of others.