Ray’s Liquor Center

I like Ray’s. It’s near my house, closer than any other market. Over the decades it’s stopped being a mini-​mart, and has become a high-​end wine/​beer place. You will rarely find, these days, any actual food except perhaps lemons or limes here. They used to have bananas and garlic and onions. You will, however, find loads of junk. Just like any fast-​food mart.
The owners are nice, but this is not a place to «stop and shop». The prices are meh for the few wines they «discount,» so CVS or Trader Joes would be better options.
This, as convenient as it is, is a store, a capitalistic endeavor. Deal with it.
I asked them if they would offer kefir drinks but they said «no.» These are folks from the Middle East who drink this daily, but, hey, no, no kefir for you! The owner even said «Oh yeah, we drink that every day!» but would he stock it? No way.
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This is the best corner market ever ! Ray and the crew are amazing it’s like seeing friends everyday I go there ! Always happy and everyone in the neighborhood loves this place ! Good wine and beer selection.

We love RAYS!
Really really nice people that are more than happy to help you out with all your boozing needs ;)
They always ask about the kids and they have continued business

What a great little shop! I went there specifically to pick up a bottle of wine for a friend. WATCH OUT– they have a crazy good selection of wine. It’s like you’re in a super market. The owner walked over and showed me that there was a selection of Napa Valley wines and then all kinds of Malbecs. He asked me my price range and what I liked and took his time selecting a bottle with me. When I told him it was for a friend, he took the price tag off and put it in a bag with a clear part for the label to show through. 5 star customer service.

This place is legit! I recently stopped in, in search of wine. Not for myself but for a friend. I had no clue as to what i was looking for. But the cashier helped me out tremendously! Didn’t try to sell me the most expensive bottle either. I told him what I was looking for and describe the dynamics of the relationship between my friend and I and he hit the nail on the head! Then i proceeded to purchase a malt liquor beverage for myself. Great place to go to. Just a taste of what to expect when you keep traveling south and hit the wonderful South Park.

I just moved to South Park in August and I usually go to Chris’ Liquor. I stopped in Ray’s the other day, and i am so glad I did! Never mind that they have everything you could possibly need. The owners and all the workers are so freaking nice. Great customer service is hard to come by. I really appreciate this place…

Ray’s Liquor couldn’t be more convenient. Ive been going here for several years and each year their improvements stun me. They have an unparalleled wine and beer selection with unbeatable prices. Nothing in North nor South Park comes close to this! As If this place couldn’t get better, after talking to the jokester clerks they said they are adding two full doors of craft beers! Also, Ray said they have just submitted a large order of Innova discs for you disc golfers at Morley Field. Cheers!

This liquor center is what it’s name says it is, a place with a lot of liquor and beer. They also carry a variety of snacks and prepare fresh coffee daily. They have lotto, candy, gum, and a selection of cigars if you are into that.
They have some descent sales from time to time. The place is a mom and pop store with great friendly service.

The best! Nice funny people working here that make you feel at home and part of the neighborhood. They got everything you could possibly need. Great beer selection. Reasonable prices for the location and good specials on booze once in awhile. I’m sure the wine selection is good too, but I don’t drink wine. They even have a decent cigar selection. Couldn’t ask for a better spot within walking distance. The flower shop outside is very good and the same with the tamale cart when they’re around. One of my favorite places in SD.

:-)
It’s family run.
The people here are friendly… and its very close to where I live, so I guess you can call the area my hood. They know me at Ray’s… and I buy my flowers outside (nice flowers, long lasting… and the flower guy wips up a beautiful arrangement out of thin air! He’ll make those 3 Peonies, and 2 Dahlia’s look like a centerpiece arrangement at the Ritz! Serious.)
I purchase my lottery tickets here. Someday they will sell me the winning numbers…
Then it will be «ADIOS SUCKERS!»
Until then, I will frequent Rays for that forgotten item at Von’s, or Fresh N Easy… I will stumble in with my runny nose and buy NyQuil and DayQuil. I will get my stick of butter, cat food, or popscicle for the kids… I will buy cleaning products, bubbly water, soda and what not.
Rays WILL sell me that winning lottery ticket. DAMN IT!!!
4 Woofs. I’m a fan, until I win… then yes, its «SO LONG SUCKERS!»

…wouldnt go in this spot if they were giving things away for free! thats all i gotta say about this spot.

I thought Chris’ Market was my closest liquor store but since they don’t have LIQUOR, Rays is the closest.
I bought a bottle of Corralejo Blanco for $ 32 which is pretty competitive. I’m actually quite impressed that they even HAD that tequila.
The guys that work there are really friendly and the store is super clean and organized. The flowers outside smell great!

Our family loves the folks at Ray’s and the flower stand! They always remember who we are, what is going on and go the extra mile for our kids.

Whoever buys the wines for Ray’s is doing a fantastic job. This is a great neighborhood liquor store with a good selection of wine and artisan beer. My bf and I picked up two bottles of wine over the weekend and we were so impressed. They also carry white wines in cold case, ready to go.
I chose a bottle of Portuguese red because my Portuguese friend had told me Portuguese wines tended to be good because they don’t export very much and whatever is exported tended to be of good quality. And it was, and for a great price of $ 7.49 a bottle. The bottle my bf chose, a Malbec from Argentina, at $ 12, was even better, better than a $ 12-​glass of Malbec we have had in restaurants and wine bars. We will buy a half case of this wine. Maybe he will even buy flowers for me next time, from the flower stand next door.

Screw the booze. Check out the flowers!
I may have just stepped into some odd 6^th dimension where those words were actually spoken, but seriously. 30^th street is always in bloom thanks to this kick ass flower shop in Ray’s parking lot.
And for some amazingly awesome reason that defys logic, they sell flowers till like 10:30 at night! CRAZY!
So here’s the plan, when you show up at 5 after a hard day of work and purchase a 22oz bottle of delirium tremens, then proceed in getting smashed and making an asshat of yourself, sober up and return to rays at say 9:30, buy some sweet imported ginormous orchids for 5 bucks a pop, and make up for your silly ass.

Ray’s rules. If you live within a few walking blocks of this place and don’t frequent it… then you should. Also, for a little corner store the wine selection is super-​gnarly and not much more expensive than other stores! Perfect place to support one of your local North Park businesses. And of course the giant rotating sign is pretty cool too.

This is the liquor store all others aspire to be:
A spinning, well lit neon sign? Yep
A highly trafficked corner in a pretty well– to — do neighborhood? Uh-​huh
So awesome that you used to have a tamale cart in the parking lot? Yessir
So gracious that you house a pretty sweet family owned flower shop? Totes.
Cocky enough to assume that you will sell 6 bottles of wine to any patron and they will get a 10% discount on said purchase? Mos def.
Next to that advertisement, you will place a formal ad for your weekly Cereal special? You know it.
Ray is a genius.
Not only do they have salt water taffy at the counter, for your last grab n go needs, but they offer a full merchandise rounder of Ray’s Liquor apparel. Ray’s sun hats. Ray’s canvas bags. Ray’s windbreakers. Ray’s mesh caps. Ray’s panties. Ray’s scarves. Ray’s denim jackets. You know, a whole wardrobe of Ray’s stuff. Fashion goes in cycles, you already knew.
They do have a huge selection of liquor store stuff. The staff is all very nice, and the cashier that is always in there when I’m in there has almost completely lost his voice. I told him to drink some green tea with a drop of lemon juice and tons of honey. He said he only drinks Indian Tea. I told him green tea is from Sri Lanka which is near India. He almost lost his voice laughing. Okay, I don’t know why that was funny, but I’ll take the props!
Another added bonus for this place: they were smart enough to purchase the good TV. Most all of the liquor stores in SD have that tiny normal tube TV behind the counter where the guy is watching Judge Judy or Nick at Nite or Novelas on Telemundo. No, Ray and Co. opted for the Circuit City going-​out-​of-​business-​special. A huge plasma screen that has a bright, crisp picture and the whole store can hear and see what is going on. Of course they have their CCtv behind the counter to make sure noone steals their Ray’s ponchos, but you can watch Dancing with the Stars in there and comment with the guys if you wish.
Ray’s will be there forever. Thanks Ray. Bring back the tamale cart.

The giant Ray’s sign is a fantastic landmark and they sell pretty much all the essentials. Let’s see, in the last six months I’ve bought… several bottles of Jamesons, Drano, Perrier, M & Ms, toilet paper. What else does a household need?

No… PP, are you nuts? This place was awesome. I guess this is proof that sometimes you can hit the jackpot and love a place while regulars, on the other hand, learn to hate it.
My friend Rachel and I Stopped here to buy our bottle of Smirnoff on the way to Mason’s going away picnic. Holy crap, why would anyone bash this place? Granted, the parking is a bit tiny… but you’re not there to party, just to buy the drinks and party elsewhere.
The woman whose name I forget was super friendly and made a comment about how much she enjoys working at a family owned shop and this and that… she told me her name and asked me mine.
Would I come here again? Next time I’m doing a house party type ordeal in North Park, yes. That means invite me over, Ryan. haha Sorry… I had to throw you out there.
As far as price goes, I paid like $ 4 less for the large bottle of Smirnoff than at other places.

I think the remodel is an improvement, but ditto on the volcanic rock. :) I want to take that dang sign home with me! Maybe I’ll just get a tshirt.
Viva Mexico! To my buddy the flower vendor whom I’ve talked to every week for the past 2 years.