ABC Store of Boone—Boone’s Lone Liquor Source For 20 Years Gets a Renovation
Story by Sam Calhoun
The date was November 5, 1986, when the ABC Store of Boone opened its doors to the public. The store on the south side of town at 2067 Blowing Rock Road is celebrating 20 years of liquor sales and has recently undergone its third renovation.
Paige Murray, chair of the ABC Board, has been involved in the operation since the doors opened.
“I’ve been the one constant on [the ABC Board],” said Murray, comfortably seated on boxes in the ABC Store warehouse—a space that has been renovated and expanded twice since the business began.
In 1986, David Edminsten was the first chair of the ABC Board, joined by Jim Deal, present-day Watauga County commissioner, and Murray. In 1998 when Edminsten stepped down, Murray took over the position. Today, Lester Hardin and Candy Weinberger join Murray on the board.
Store Manager Ronnie Hayes, Assistant Store Manager Barry Horton and six full-time employees operate the Store. Horton and the office manager have been with the operation for 20 years, and most of the full-time clerks have been there for a decade. This longevity of employment adds to the community feel of Boone’s sole liquor sales operation.
In the first few years of business, the ABC Store of Boone posted sales of roughly $1.5 million, according to Murray. That number has grown to almost $4 million today.
Because of increases in population and tourism, “there’s never a slow time anymore,” laughed Horton.
During fiscal year 2005-06, the ABC Store of Boone posted $3.7 million in gross sales and by statutory requirement paid the Town of Boone $319,000. Since the store opened in 1986, the operation has produced $4.4 million in revenues for the town.
With that success comes growth and the store is close to completing an 875 square foot addition to its sales area. Started in August, the addition cost $320,000 and Greene Construction Company is doing the work.
“It will be finished very shortly,” said Murray.
In the early 1990s and again in 2002, the store’s warehouse area was renovated and expanded, but this is the first time that the sales area has been expanded.
According to Horton, the store needed more shelf and floor space to stock a selection that grows every year.
“This is it,” said Murray, speaking about future growth.
“We’ve got no more room,” said Horton. “This is as big as we can get.”
Horton and Hayes are in charge of stocking the store. Liquor distributors come by the store to advertise what’s new on the market. Horton and Hayes then decide what stays and what goes.
They order products through a warehouse in Raleigh and a delivery truck arrives every two weeks.
At the store, responsibility has gone hand in hand with growth.
“Let it be known to the public that we do everything we can to prevent underage drinking,” said Murray. “We don’t violate state law that says you can’t sell to underage people. We are not a promoter of alcohol. We’re here to serve the public with what’s been voted in.”
By law, the ABC Store of Boone can either hire a police officer or contract with the local police to set up an Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) operation. The ABC Store of Boone contracts with the Boone Police and spent more than $13,000 on the ALE operation in fiscal year 2005-06.
The store is also required to give money every year to any organization of its choosing for alcohol education. The store gave more than $18,000 to Watauga County Schools in fiscal year 2005-06 for classes on alcohol education.
One unique aspect of the operation is that the store is in a town that does not offer liquor by the drink. Both Horton and Murray think that if liquor by the drink became available in Boone, their walk in business would not be negatively affected. They believe that people would still purchase liquor for consumption in their homes.
“We’re not pushing for liquor by the drink, but we could handle that operation,” said Murray, who added that if such a measure passed, the distribution center would be the warehouse of the ABC Store of Boone. With the previous additions to the warehouse, “we’re equipped now to handle it for a couple of years,” Murray said.
Murray, although not required to pay visits, comes by the store one to two times per week and also attends the monthly ABC Liquor Board meetings. Murray is a retired manager from Lowe’s Companies.
“We don’t waste money,” said Murray.
“We only spend money if it’s necessary,” said Horton.
The ABC Store of Boone is located at 2067 Blowing Rock Road and is open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday. For more information, call 828-262-3616.
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