Lincolnton will soon see a second liquor store, and another could be on the horizon in western Lincoln County.
The idea is to better serve Lincoln County customers, but not everyone is raising a glass to celebrate the expansion.
Cherryville City Council recently adopted a resolution to protest a proposed store on N.C. 27 near the intersection of N.C. 18 in Vale.
Cherryville’s ABC store is about 14 miles from where the proposed store would go. A new store would be in direct competition and could take away 10 to 20 percent of the store’s business, according to Cherryville Mayor H.L. Beam.
“It would really hurt the Cherryville store because Cherryville really draws from the Vale and North Brook area,” he said.
Done deal
Cherryville didn’t dispute the Lincolnton store that’s already been approved by the state.
The new location will be near the courthouse on Riverside Drive in a spot that once housed a pawn shop.
The satellite store will be less than three miles away from Lincolnton’s other ABC store, but the stretch of road between the two includes a traffic circle, about a dozen traffic lights and a lot of cars getting on and off of U.S. 321.
The new store won’t be as flashy as the free-standing one, but its purpose is convenience, said Mike Owen, chairman of Lincolnton’s ABC board.
Few renovations are planned for the new location.
Security cameras will be installed as will wiring necessary to run the business, and the store should open in May.
On hold
Lincoln County’s ABC board hopes to cater to people living on the west side of the county.
The proposed store has been discussed for years. It was suggested once before but met with opposition.
The proposal is meeting resistance again this time around. Along with Cherryville City Council’s written objection, some residents and church congregations have signed petitions and turned them in to the state board that approves and denies new stores.
The decision was tabled earlier this month, but not because of opposition, according to a press release from the state board.
The Lincoln ABC board was asked to provide more information about the potential for profit.
If approved
The Lincolnton ABC board operates the existing store just off of N.C. 27 in the city limits.
The Lincoln County board runs the only other store in the county, which is in Denver.
There are no stores in the western half of the county.
Voters approved alcohol sales in 2002. It’s time that people on both sides of the county have a store nearby, said Mike Baker, chairman of the county ABC board.
A lot of work has gone into studying the financials, finding the land and submitting the application to the state, he said.
“We’re not just shooting in the dark. We’ve put a lot of thought into it,” Baker said.
Sizeable contributions
Most ABC stores in the state contribute to city or county budgets.
This year, the Denver store anticipates giving $230,000 to Lincoln County in addition to money that goes to law enforcement.
Cherryville’s store added about $22,000 to the city budget last year.
The City Council doesn’t factor the contribution into the annual budget, but the additional money is a good boost, Beam said.
There’s a chance the up-and-coming Lincolnton store might hurt Cherryville’s business, but Beam said he feels certain an ABC store in Vale will cut into Cherryville profits.
Baker said he and his board are moving forward with the proposal.
“Our intent is not to build a store to take Cherryville’s business or anyone’s business,” he said. “The county voted alcohol in, so I feel like the whole county should be able to buy alcohol.”
Distance from proposed store
If the western Lincoln County ABC store is approved, it will be this far from others:
14 miles to Cherryville
18 miles to Lincolnton
19 miles to Shelby
21 miles to Mountain View
22 miles to Morganton
29 miles to Denver
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