New Liquor Barn

Just an fyi
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/ ... rn+traffic

First of all, I'm curious why we have a law that prohibits two liquor stores from being within 700 feet of each other in the first place. You all know my inherent anti-regulation sensibilities, but I just can't think of any reason why they wouldn't want them near each other.

You all are talking about the Liquor Barn as it is today. The new group takes over in the next few months, so we'll see if they are still as community friendly as the current owners. My money says no!!!

I might be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that the new owners have taken over already. I know the original plan was supposed to have them fully in charge by the end of the year, but I'm fairly certain that someone at the last wine tasting told me that they had already done so.

As far as I can tell, they still stock the same local goods. My understanding is that the only local product being downsized is their supply of Jim Beam t-shirts or somesuch. Considering the fact that they still carry a very large amount of local food, beer, wine, liquor, and other products, I'm not going to quibble that much over something that I would never buy in the first place.

One might make the argument that ultimately the money is leaving Louisville, but it was already doing that in the first place. The former owner lives in Lexington, so if you're using that strict of an interpretation then they were never locally owned in the first place.

As for me, I'm going to continue shopping there unless they do something drastic like replace the wine and beer management or greatly reduce the quantity of local products.

For my money, I don't think they'll do either. Eating and drinking local goods is in right now, and the fact that the company that bought them out is still turning a profit in this recession tells me that they understand how the market works. That's just my two cents.

actually having 2 of them so close is good for consumers. it's competition and keeps the prices down. they will have secret shoppers that will check out each others store and their prices.

Very good point. That's just one more reason we shouldn't have a 700 feet rule.

http://www.courierjournal.com/article/20091104/ZONE02/911040321/1003/BUSINESS/St.+Matthews+pledges+efforts+to+combat+Liquor+Barn+traffic

Beverage Warehouse, across Shelbyville from Liquor Barn, says Liquor Barn is too close to Beverage Warehouse to comply with St. Matthews' law requiring stores to be at least 700 feet apart.

Beverage Warehouse had filed suit to try to prevent a liquor license from being issued to Liquor Barn and to have a hearing on the matter by the state Alcoholic Beverage Control board while the board was considering whether to issue the license.

Ouch, that could be an expensive mistake. Hopefully it will get worked out.

Edit: I read some of the back stories on "that" site and it looks like the license was approved, and Beverage Warehouse's initial suit was tossed out. It seems odd that if a business is right across the street that it would be within the 700 feet limit, but they said they use a safe walking distance, which entails using the lights and crosswalks. I don't know about you, but I don't know of anywhere or any time that you could safely cross Shelbyville Road and its 8 lanes of traffic.

Todd, it was more of a note letting people how hard the Beverage warehouse is fighting the Liquor Barn opening.

Also, I stopped in your place(crossed the river) Halloween night and I was quite impressed. Very nice selection of singles. I ask if you we in and they said they sent you home an hour earlier. I'll try again another time.

Todd, it was more of a note letting people how hard the Beverage warehouse is fighting the Liquor Barn opening.

Also, I stopped in your place(crossed the river) Halloween night and I was quite impressed. Very nice selection of singles. I ask if you we in and they said they sent you home an hour earlier. I'll try again another time.

Justin,
Thanks for the kind words about the store, and thanks for crossing the great divide that is the Ohio River

I totally get where you are coming from with Beverage Warehouse. If someone tried opening a store across the street from me, I would fight it like crazy. Someone could try the 700 feet rule (assuming we have one here in Indiana) on me and it technically would work as to walk across the street from me at a crossing, you would have to walk several blocks away to get to a crosswalk to then walk those several blocks back down the street to the other store. That would be way more than 700 feet on foot, but I could take a baseball and throw it at the buildings across the street from me.

Liquor licenses are not cheap, and Beverage Warehouse has been in their location for some time. They have served that area well, and having a larger competitor move right across the street from them, and get a liquor license on a technicality , I would battle against this too. I honestly hope they (Beverage Warehouse) would win this battle. The market in Louisville is competitive enough that I'm sure their prices are comparable regardless if there is another store right across from them, so little would be gained by having them so close together.

I have mixed fillings on the matter. If The Barn opens I think the Beverage Warehouse will be closing. Any business closing is a bad thing, but Liquor Barn does what is does vey well. I have been in Beverage Warehouse 3-4 times and was never impressed. Their beer selection is terribly boring. They have a nice selections of spirits, but I'm a beer guy. The 700 foot rule is just another law that I fail to understand.

The 700 foot rule is a St Matthews ordinance that has been on the books for many years.

If The Barn opens I think the Beverage Warehouse will be closing.

Honestly, I wouldn't be so quick to assume that.

It little old Paducah, KY, there's one drag that has around 4 liquor stores in close proximity (and 2 are vastly superior in terms of selection.)

All four of them do good business for a few reasons, but the primary one is that they're on opposite sides of a (for Paducah) busy road. Now this doesn't compare at all to the busy nature of Shelbeyville Road.

I think both could stay open, because people aren't going to want to cross over and make two left turns if all they want is Bud or Miller. If they want craft beer, well as you said Beverage Warehouse has a boring selection and that might cause people to cross the street. That group represents a minority of people though, so while Beverage Warehouse will lose some business, they'll still be viable.

Is St. Matthews a place where the rule of law doesn't count? Take out concerns about regulation or correctness of the law. It is the law that the liquor establishments be spaced so far apart. Shouldn't there be compliance, and if not, shouldn't the St. Matthews councilcritters change the law so there's no violation? How can we expect citizens to respect the law if it's not followed in such a high profile case?

I totally get where you are coming from with Beverage Warehouse. If someone tried opening a store across the street from me, I would fight it like crazy.

Why?? .. don't think you can handle the competition? If you sold clothes you couldn't stop a clothes place from opening across the street. Why should a liquor store get special benefits? The cost a of liquor license is irrelevant. The other place would have to pay the same. Maybe Applebees should be able to keep O'charleys from opening across the street. By the way, I owned a liquor store thirty years ago.

[Robin Garr]

If I'm not mistaken, the "distance by the most direct safely walkable route, not as the crow flies" is enshrined in case law, Steve. Wasn't there a similar controversy involving Louisville's less stringent distance law somewhere on Bardstown Road, maybe out by the Bambi?

Is St. Matthews a place where the rule of law doesn't count? Take out concerns about regulation or correctness of the law. It is the law that the liquor establishments be spaced so far apart. Shouldn't there be compliance, and if not, shouldn't the St. Matthews councilcritters change the law so there's no violation? How can we expect citizens to respect the law if it's not followed in such a high profile case?

Indeed there was. Gotta measure by the safest walkable route.

If I'm not mistaken, the "distance by the most direct safely walkable route, not as the crow flies" is enshrined in case law, Steve. Wasn't there a similar controversy involving Louisville's less stringent distance law somewhere on Bardstown Road, maybe out by the Bambi?

Is St. Matthews a place where the rule of law doesn't count? Take out concerns about regulation or correctness of the law. It is the law that the liquor establishments be spaced so far apart. Shouldn't there be compliance, and if not, shouldn't the St. Matthews councilcritters change the law so there's no violation? How can we expect citizens to respect the law if it's not followed in such a high profile case?

And it's still far enough away to comply with the law?

Liquor stores or any place selling liquor?

BBC, Dutch's, Brendans, Molly's, Gerstles, Diamonds, Saints, 60 West?