Liquor Store Closes Its Doors

WAITSBURG - After 30 years selling liquor on Main Street in Waitsburg, Bonnie Olson closed the doors of her liquor and spirits store on May 21.

Olson had obtained a license from the state before the big transition that allowed her to carry and sell liquor, and but she recently decided that running her own store wasn't a priority.

"I just decided I really didn't need to do that," Olson said.

Initiative 1183 was passed by voters in the last General Election. The initiative took liquor sales in Washington out of the hands of the Liquor Control Board and into the hands of individual retailers effective June 1. All staterun liquor stores have been closed and auctioned off and all state-contract stores, like Olson's, had the option to close permanently or purchase the liquor from the state and stay open.

Dayton's liquor store located on its Main Street isn't going anywhere. It will reopen June 5, per the store's answering machine message.

Olson said she had planned to stay in the spirits business, but changed her mind. Now, she said she has no plans to keep selling liquor because it is very expensive. The store in Waitsburg Olson ran was a state-contracted store and she worked as a state employee.

"I thank (all of my customers) for the business," Olson said. "I'll miss all of my customers. They were very nice people."

Mikhail Carpenter, a spokesman for the Washington

State Liquor Control Board, said of the more than 300 liquor stores in Washington State, only about 25 owners like Olson with licenses decided not to keep their doors open after the transition.

"For the most part, everybody went full throttle," Carpenter said. "(The 25) are a drop in the bucket."

So where are Waitsburg residents going to buy liquor?

Dan Cole, the owner of the Waitsburg Grocery Store has obtained a license and has been selling liquor since the first day retailers could sell - June 1.

"We are going to be a full-blown liquor store," Cole said.

Cole said he ordered 35 cases of spirits and only a handful of cases actually arrived in time to open up the new inventory on June 1. Cole said the liquor distributors are totally "overwhelmed" by the demand.

Cole said he hopes the rest of his cases are delivered soon so he can provide a wide variety of inventory. Also, he is expanding his wine selection for the local customers.

"This is very exciting for me," Cole said. "I wanted to make sure Waitsburg had a place to buy liquor."

Cole's main reason for offering booze in his corner market was competition. He said if there is no liquor available to purchase in Waitsburg, customers will seek it out in other cities. And while they are buying liquor in other cities, they'll purchase groceries outside of the city as well.

"That's the direction I had to choose," Cole said. "That's in my best interest."