He sold his share of the successful Wine Culture store in Roseville to his partner, packed up his goods and chattels and bought a run-down bottle shop tucked behind a service station on Central Coast Highway at Gosford.
Last month, Oldfield Cellars was voted one of the top 10 beer bottle shops in Australia by the Drinks Trade Magazine.
It’s an accolade Mr Oldfield describes as “awesome” – the culmination of two years of frenetic remodelling, redecorating and stock experimentation – and follows on from an Excellence in Innovation award from the Liquor Stores Association in his first year of operation.
“Initially my plan was to open a fine wine shop,” Mr Oldfield, who has had years of experience in the industry, said.
“But it soon became obvious my customers wanted more, so I decided to branch out a bit into craft beer.
“I employed Brendan Murray, who has a lot of knowledge in that area, and that side of the business has just taken off.”
Mr Oldfield gets the bulk of his stock from the two craft breweries right here on the Coast, Six String Brewery at Erina and Block ‘n’ Tackle a Kincumber.
He believes in keeping it local as much as he can.
“We sometimes work in collaboration with the breweries in coming up with new brews and pride ourselves on being the best stocked craft beer bottle hop on the Coast,” he said.
Women customers
Oldfield Cellars also stocks an impressive range of wine, along with all the mainstream beers, and a variety of novelty items and munchies, from fresh oysters to a variety of nuts and pretzels – and even beef jerky.
“I’ve been in the industry a long while and I’ve found that if you listen to your customers you’re usually on the right track,” Mr Oldfield said.
“For instance, when we decided to stock beef jerky, we trialled goods from 20 companies. I would get customers to try them and vote for the best, and we eventually decided on two lines to stock permanently.”
Surprisingly, Mr Oldfield reports that around a quarter of his beer customers are women.
“With the rise of craft beers, we are seeing more women, usually aged up to about 40, opting for beer,” he said. “They are enjoying the full flavours and savouring the tastes.”
With an attractive décor and piped music, the store is full of ambience.
For Mr Oldfield, it’s all about the customers.
“I only employ staff with knowledge and personality,” he said. “Customer service is often lost in the retail industry. It’s not all about money. If you give quality product and top service, the money will follow on.”
Oldfield Cellars holds regular beer and wine tastings, with plans to expand and establish a permanent wine tasting and wine education room in one of the large storerooms to the rear of the existing shop.
Pop into Oldfield Cellars to see why its peers have voted it one of the 10 best beer bottle shops in the country.
