A new outpost of ABC Fine Wine & Spirits is headed for Hamlin Town Center, with the family-owned Florida chain planning a store at 14422 Shoreside Way in Winter Garden. The new location will offer the same broad selection of wines, beers and spirits found at its other Florida stores, though no opening date has been announced.
According to WhatNow, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits traces its roots to 1936, when it started as a single package store. Nearly nine decades later, the company remains family-owned and operated, with well over 100 locations spread across Florida and more than 1,500 team members on staff statewide. Chairman and CEO Charles Bailes III and Executive Vice President Jess Bailes have led the business since 1994, and the company says multiple generations of families have built careers there.
Land Deal Points to a Horizon West Build-Out
The Hamlin plans build on groundwork laid earlier. The retailer purchased land for the Horizon West store from Hamlin Retail Partners West, LLC, at the intersection of Avalon Road and New Independence Parkway, in the development's northwest quadrant, the same account notes. At the time, the company indicated it would take approximately two years for the new location to open, per that report.
The site is shaping up to be a busy corner. The same intersection is also slated to host a Wawa gas station and a Sweetwater Car Wash. A free-standing emergency room has separately been proposed directly south of the planned ABC store, according to a report from Horizon West Info.
A Growing Footprint Near Hamlin
Local permitting records add another layer of detail. The retailer filed plans with Orange County for a 10,980-square-foot store in the area, and property records show it paid Boyd Development Corporation $2.5 million for the 1.05-acre site back in 2023, as reported by GrowthSpotter.
This would not be ABC's first stop in Winter Garden. The chain opened a 15,000-square-foot store at 4110 Winter Garden Vineland Road in May 2024, complete with a whiskey-tasting center, exclusive private barrel selections and a large walk-in humidor, according to a company announcement distributed via PR Newswire. ABC marked that opening with a grand-opening celebration on June 1, 2024, running from 3 to 7 p.m.
Hamlin's Evolving Retail and Entertainment Scene
The new wine shop would land in an area already picking up momentum. Hamlin is becoming an evening neighborhood, per Susana Wight, as cited by WhatNow, with destinations like Agave Bandido and PopStroke joining the mix of new or planned concepts in the Town Center village.
The timing also lines up with a bigger shift for the company. ABC Fine Wine & Spirits recently made its first move outside Florida after nearly 90 years in business, acquiring Colorado's Applejack Wine & Spirits stores, according to the Orlando Business Journal. Company leaders described that acquisition as just the beginning of a broader expansion strategy focused on the Southeast, the outlet reported. For now, Horizon West shoppers will have to keep watching for word on when the Shoreside Way doors actually open.
