Who We Are

Built in 1886 on the site of a tannery owned by John Conklin & Sons, our beautiful brick warehouse was conveniently located for import/export via the adjacent railway and steamboats and remained the Lake Keuka Fruit Sales Co. until being sold off to a number of owners in 1928.

Penn Yan natives, Steven Carlson and Kyle Knapton, purchased the store from Ray & Sandi Spencer in the Fall of 2022, taking over their 23-year business in hopes of growing and adapting their store with a focus on Finger Lakes Wines and Spirits. They hope to offer the wides variety of the best wines and liquors from around the world at the best prices for miles.

Steven Carlson

Steven is a co-owner of Water Street Wines & Spirits. A Penn Yan native, he returned to the area in 2020 after spending a decade living and working in Connecticut. Steven’s shared passion for wine and entrepreneurship prompted him to partner with Kyle Knapton to purchase Water Street Wines & Spirits in 2022. With a strong desire to give back to the local community, Steven is on a mission to make everyone’s experience at Water Street Wines & Spirits exceptional.

In addition to his work at Water Street, Steven serves as a business operations leader for a fortune 500 company. He received both his MBA and BS in Management from Binghamton University, and is a CFA Charterholder. Early in his career he worked in the financial industry as an equity trader and venture capital analyst. In his spare time Steven enjoys coaching/playing lacrosse, spending time with family on Keuka lake, skiing, and listening to audio books. 

Kyle Knapton

Kyle joined Water Street Wines & Spirits in November of 2018 as their new Asst. Manager. A Penn Yan local, Kyle left his first full-time career as an educator and spent the last decade+ engrossed in the local wine industry from winemaking to general management of a boutique Seneca Lake winery, and now managing a local wine store.

Kyle holds an Advanced Certificate in Wine from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET-3) in London, England, and a Certified Specialist of Sherry Wine Certificate from House Lustau in Jerez, Spain.

Learned in local wines and wines of the world, Kyle continues to grow and expand his knowledge of wines and spirits through travel and education. His love of whisk(e)ys of all kinds is an asset to our spirits customers, and he is an avid homebrewer and craft beer enthusiast.

Kyle is available 6 days a week to answer questions and educate customers, help them pick the best bottles, and assist in pairing ideas!

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