Vashon Liquor owners unsure if they’ll close shop
By NATALIE JOHNSON
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Reporter
November 15, 2011 · 10:11 AM
The owners of Vashon Liquor are trying to determine what the passage of Initiative 1183, which privatized liquor sales in Washington, means for their small store.
As a contract liquor store — not a state-owned one —it’s possible their doors could stay open, said Karen Lindskog, who owns the shop with Cherry Morgan.
The two of them are now wading through the details of the initiative and working with the state to figure out how much it would cost for them to purchase the store’s inventory — which has a $300,000 retail value — and how the state plans to phase out of the liquor business by June.
They’re also unsure what kind of prices they could get from a liquor distributor.
“There’s so much to understand,” Lindskog said, “I don’t have a good understanding of the details.”
What they decide to do will also greatly depend on whether Thriftway or Vashon Market opt to begin selling liquor. Lindskog thinks it would be tough for the shop to compete with the grocery stores.
“I’d be lying to say that’s not a huge consideration,” she said.
However, Linsdkog added that if a liquor store could keep its door open anywhere, it would be on Vashon, where she said she has seen a tremendous amount of community support.
“We are bound and determined,” she said. “If we can figure out a way to make it work, we’re going to do it.”
Contact Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Reporter Natalie Johnson at njohnson@vashonbeachcomber.com or 206-463-9195.
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