Liquor 'superstore' set to open in Vancouver near grade school
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VANCOUVER, Wash. - Washington voters turned liquor sales over to private businesses last year, allowing the sale of booze in grocery stores and other outlets that were previously off-limits for hard alcohol sales.
That vote has also paved the way for Vancouver’s first liquor "superstore," which is set to open soon.
BevMo! is a California chain with more than 150 stores locations, mostly in California, and they plan to open an 11,000 square foot store in Vancouver in early April of this year.
That’s about the time a former state run liquor store down the street will be closing.
But some people are concerned about the impact on local businesses and about where the BevMo! store will be located.
Anson Bolinger, the manager of the former state-run store, says added taxes, competition from Oregon and more competition from BevMo! will make it impossible for his small operation to turn a profit.
He said they plan on staying open for a "just a couple of months."
“Our goal going into this was to have a much wider variety than people could find in the grocery stores,” Bolinger said. “And we thought that would be where we would make a profit was by doing that.”
But Bolinger says his store just can't compete with the buying power of BevMo!, which will be able to sell products at a lower price. The BevMo! store will be int he same shopping complex as a Target store, which now also sells liquor.
He said the former state-run store is only doing 10 to 15 percent of the business it used to now that liquor can be purchased in grocery stores and other places.
Mike Souder, who lives nearby said he isn't looking forward to kids walking to or from school being exposed to the prominence of BevMo! products.
The BevMo! location will be just about a block away from Mill Plain Elementary School.
"You don't know if there's going to be more panhandlers attempting to get the product around here or whatnot," Souder's wife Catherine said. "You don't know if people are intoxicated when they're driving through this parking lot, so that's a little worrisome."
BevMo! has followed all the rules and laws required to open their store in Vancouver and said they are interested in investing more in Washington.
They are currently hiring and say that right now, the company doesn't have plans to open another outlet in Clark County. Construction of the current store is nearly complete.
âMike Souder, who lives nearby said he isn't looking forward to kids walking to or from school being exposed to the prominence of BevMo! products.â
OMG!! Say it aint so!! Children may have to walk by a store that sells ALCOHOL?? Of course if they are in the pubic library and some pervert is watching his ACLU protected porn now thatâs fine.
Yes drink to hide behind a drunk personality!
In most stores you have to be careful not to knock over the booze displays set up everywhere. One of america's top priorities.
If the state liquor store kingdom was more concerned with providing the customer with affordable and  accessible and pleasant shopping experiences versus maintaining their kingdom and retirement plans for the select few in management they may have still been a viable entity. When private firms can come in and outsell even at higher prices then you know this is the right move. What we are hearing now is the death rattle of the state liquor stores trying anything as a "I told you so" at their burial. We will not miss you.
bbbbut the chiiiiildren
Do they still allow children into Safeway? Beer, wine, spirits all within reach - more accessible than the toy aisle. What - no outcry about grocery stores being built near schools.
"Mike Souder, who lives nearby said he isn't looking forward to kids walking to or from school being exposed to the prominence of BevMo! products."
Not that we should purposefully expose our kids to alcohol, sex, etc, but we are WAY too prudish in this country. These things are facts of life, and should be treated as such. People drink liquor. People buy lingerie. Any kid that's old enough to understand what the store sells and what it's for is old enough to handle the knowledge. Get over it.
Oh no, save the children save the children! Â What a load of crap. Â This is now going to be the argument against anything someone doesn't want, except against GMOs because the President profits from those!
You don't know if someone's driving intoxicated anywhere! Â Let me give you a clue, I've seen drunk and stoned women picking their precious cargo up from their schools so a store parking lot isn't any different. Â
Man i can not believe they would allow a liquor store so close to a grade school! Now those little kids will have easy access to buy liquor on their lunch break! Dam shame!
@Griffey24 Stop whining. They can find liquor at any grocery store now. Boo freakin' hoo.
@Griffey24Â Booze shoplifting is at record highs. It's an epedemic.
Oh no itâs a block away from a school *gasp*! Umm how does that have anything to do with anything? So what if the elementary kids might have to walk by a store that serves adult beverages. Itâs no worse than walking by any other stores. I feel bad for the small business previously state run liquor store, but if you canât keep up thatâs life in business. They could try to find some niche market to fit in even with BevMo and Target if they really wanted to.
Amazing what people whine about. Hell, if I was a kid, and saw what kind of country the adults in this world are leaving me, I'd WANT a liquor superstore close by so I could get hammered and flip them off.Â
Get over it, No one complained when the Target store started selling liqour. If you dont want your children being exposed to the evils of the world , Bubble wrap em and home school them.
OH no how scary.... ouch  GEEZE  get OVER IT
"Thatâs about the time a former state run liquor store down the street will be closing."..How far down the street? No one seemed to mind the state ran store in proximity to the school.
Opening near a school? That's awful. Grade schoolers are mean drunks and they're lousy tippers.
Another BevMo is opening. It's a good company that has a great selection of items for consumers who are by and large responsible adults. What's the problem?
@KOMO_Sapiens "Think of the children!!" That's the problem - some people's knee-jerk reaction to almost anything. I don't think it'll be an issue at all. If people are responsible, it's going to be all right.
@tats76 @KOMO_Sapiens "IF people are responsible" - Ah, there's the rub......again.