BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:

A nice bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, a premium cigar, hard-to-find beer, international cheeses and some of the best corkscrews money can buy — these are just a sampling of items for sale at Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa.

The wine and spirit shop has been family owned and operated since 1957 and has been steadily growing ever since. It was started by Fritz Hanson and his brother-in-law Jim McVay at 17th Street and Irvine Avenue. Back then, the liquor section was the biggest draw. These days, with the store’s 3,000-square-foot wine cellar, the wine selection has made the store popular around the country.

In 1984, the family moved the store to its current location on Ogle Street in Costa Mesa, and general manager Diana Hirst said business continues to climb about 10% every year, which could be partly due to a slew of loyal customers.

“I just love this checking out what they have,” said Santa Ana Heights resident Eric Wentworth. “They’ve got everything, the prices are great — I mean there’s beer from all over the world, it’s phenomenal.”

Wentworth and his buddy Russell Dietz recently cruised around the store’s walk-in beer fridge checking out the inventory. Dietz enlisted the help of one of Hi-Time’s employees.

“It’s friendly and laid back,” Dietz said. “Here the people seem to care about what they’re doing.”

Gathered around the wine bar with her sister-in-law Tracy Hanson and cousin Vicki Brown, the three women attribute some of Hi-Time’s success to their knowledgeable employees — some have been working there for 30 years — and to their customer service habits.

“I think we really care about the customers and try to see what people are interested in and if somebody wants a particular bottle of wine, we try to order it,” Hirst said.

Beyond their expertise, the store offers monthly wine and beer tastings and special classes, including a wine appreciation class and a wine and cheese pairing class.

Todd Johnston leads some of these classes and loves his job. He always encourages those who don’t know very much about wine to attend the classes or tastings.

“I really like the people who don’t know anything about wine,” he said, standing in front of the cheese case. “It’s interesting and fun for them and they’re eager to learn.”

Every month, the store features a different country with wine specials for customers and featured wine tastings.

The three women figured they probably move more than 6,000 cases of wine every month, but they are also expanding online. They now take orders and ship all over the country and Hirst expects it to be a big part of the store’s future expansion.

Still, what the ladies love about Hi-Time are the customers who walk through their doors and ask for help.

“When people walk into the store, they’re happy,” Tracy Hanson said.