I have .csv file of store names/addresses/phone numbers that I want to convert into a database. Somewhere down the line this database will be large/elaborate (imagine entries similar to Yelp), but for now I want (at a minimum) to allow users to sort and search the names. Bonus if I can easily set up the search to work off of zipcodes; thriple bonus if each entry could contain store descriptions. But I am thinking in MVP mode, so I'll take what I can get.
Finally, all of this needs to exist in the WordPress environment. Any suggestions or ideas would be invaluable, even if it's to tell me that I'm nuts to think such a thing is possible.
You can try CSV Importer plugin to get the data into wordpress.
Sounds like you want a store list application for wordpress.
Did you take a look at this one?