In 1975, original owner Kent Pearson took over a small grocery store and began focusing on liquor sales and eventually added fuel pumps.

Kent Pearson’s son, Brian Pearson, took over Aurora Liquors after Kent’s passing in 2015.

“I grew up with it, I pretty much worked here my whole life,” Pearson said. “I believe in offering a variety at a fair price.”

In 2016, the original store was torn down and the warehouse was turned into a brand-new store featuring a large beer cave, a drive-thru deli, 24-hour fuel pumps and diesel fuel islands for large trucks.

(Jim Paul/Daily News photo) Aurora Liquors is at W582 County Road N in Aurora, Wis.

“I decided that the store was getting a little too small, so we came in here to make it a little larger,” Pearson said. “The offerings are so much bigger than when we used to be in the old store. We probably have the largest selection in the area as far as spirits go. We can offer a selection of wines, liquors and beers like we never used to carry.”

As a tribute to Kent Pearson, on display above a cooler is his ’57 Chevy stock car that he raced for many years at Norway Speedway. Kent had a successful stock car racing career in the 1970s and ’80s, with seven track championships between the Norway and Escanaba speedways, according to his obituary.

Every year Aurora Liquors sponsors a race at the speedway, in 2024 the Aurora Liquors – Kent Pearson & Roy Allard Memorial Race.

Aurora Liquors has been able to keep up with changes in customer demands. Pearson says that for the past 10 or more years, hard-to-find bourbons have been what the many customers look for and he does his best to find them. Other trends include hard seltzers and microbrews.

The deli at Aurora Liquors is a popular stop for many, featuring a variety of burgers, hot ham and cheese, porketta and a Philly cheesesteak, among others. Daily specials include chicken and stuffing, ribs, spaghetti and cod dinners on Fridays.

A big challenge for Aurora Liquors is on the fuel side of the business. It is difficult to be competitive being just a single-station operation, Pearson said, but he hopes to change that with a new promotion through BP.

Pearson said that customers can save 5 cents a gallon on fuel with BP’s Earnify app and an additional 10 cents a gallon if the BP Visa card is used.

In addition to the fuel savings, Aurora Liquors has monthly deals on spirits.

Aurora Liquors is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, with the deli open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the fuel pumps are available 24 hours.

Jim Paul can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 229, or jpaul@ironmountaindailynews.com