Robbinsville – New Year’s Day came and went over the weekend, but one thing that remained the same is that beer and wine still can’t be sold in Robbinsville.
“It’s hard to say a time frame,” said Robbinsville Mayor Shaun Adams, adding that it could take a couple of months. “We’re still working on satisfying state requirements.”
Although Robbinsville voters approved the sale of beer and wine with several measures on the November ballot – effective Jan. 1 – there still remain steps to be taken before sales can launch.
The town’s board of aldermen were scheduled to meet after press time Wednesday and among the agenda items, the board was expected to appoint a town official to be the point person for processing beer and wine license applications, and forwarding them on to the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Commission for final approval.
Graham County does not have its own ABC commission, unlike other counties that allow the sale of beer, wine and spirits.
Ingles – the only supermarket in Robbinsville – has been taking measures to prepare, including training staff, lining up distributors and installing beverage display cases.
Dollar General, several gas station convenience stores and restaurants are existing businesses that could also take advantage of newly approved beer and wine sales.
Legal beer and wine could also open the door for beer and wine specialty shops, and wine tasting rooms. It may even entice venues just outside town limits to ask to be annexed so that they too can take advantage of the newly relaxed rules.
The longer it takes for the approval process in Robbinsville to kick in, the more potential profits will be unrealized, with sales going to neighboring counties where beer and wine – as well as spirits – are easily available.
Selling alcohol generates revenue for restaurants because the markup is high and it’s easy to upsell customers, according to smallbusiness.chron.com. The average revenue that comes with selling alcohol is 20-25 percent of restaurant income, but it can become much higher, according to the website.
In a physical supermarket, alcohol represents 4.6 percent of their total purchases, according to data from Progressive Grocer.
The board of aldermen started the process at its November meeting, when it set a $50 fee for one-time special event permits.
Meanwhile, if you want to buy beer or wine in Graham County, the Town of Fontana Dam allows it, as does Blue Waters Mountain Lodge, Tapoco Lodge, and Snowbird Mountain Lodge; each of which qualify under an exemption for resorts.
Closer to Robbinsville, Wehrloom Honey sells its own varieties of mead (fermented honey in bottles and cans) and has a tap room where adults can buy mead by the glass.