Alcohol Sales on Sunday - the Catch-22

Sporadic start dates muddle transition | ajc.com

The article above quotes Bob Leavey, owner of d'Vine Wine Bar in the Shops of Dunwoody (my favorite watering hole) regarding the Sunday alcohol sales referendum.

The question passed by about 80% in Dunwoody on election day. Dunwoody alcohol sales begin on December 4.

I looked over the ballot closely when I voted and also reviewed some of the sample ballot questions posted online. Not once did I see anything about an additional $1,100 fee for the privilege. Were it not for the memorandum from Chris Pike on John's blog, I would have thought the AJC got it wrong. The item is up for discussion at Monday's council meeting.

The last page is fascinating. In addition to a $4,000 license for a full-service bar, plus additional "nickel and dime" fees for employees that pour and wine tastings and whatnot, there's an additional $1,100 just for Sunday! Where did this number come from? Outer space?

So for these small outfits to meet the obvious demand for sales on Sunday and remain competitive with larger stores (like Total Wine) and restaurants and supermarkets, they have to pay an extra fee and stay open. But if they pay the extra fee they stand to lose a chunk of profit so the competitiveness doesn't pay off. Classic Catch-22.

Most bars and liquor stores are stereotypical "mom and pop" outfits. Bob aludes to that himself in the AJC article. Like most small businesses they don't have extra cash just lying around; everything is invested in making the business function. A couple of years ago, when the discussion of Sunday alcohol sales was first raised, I had a fascinating conversation with one of the owners of the Rhapsody Bottle Shop in Orchard Park. They were against selling on Sundays. Not because of any religious concerns (they sell alcohol for a living - duh) but because they were just a family outfit and Sunday was the only day they could take off and rest. Supermarkets are always going to sell and additional fees or hours won't even make a dent in their bottom line.

So the only people this fee will harm are the small, local family-owned outfits. 

So whadaya think of the additional fees to buy liquor on Sundays? There's a poll on the bottom of the page. But if you really want to make a point, call Chris Pike and tell him yourself at 678-382-6700 or email him at chris.pike@dunwoodyga.gov. Don't forget to comment on the Council Agenda post on John's blog. Make sure the rest of City Council knows what you think too starting with the Mayor (there are links to the other city council members' pages from here). Don't forget our not-yet-inaugurated new city council member Lynn Deutsch and the gentlemen continuing their campaigns in a runoff. If you have the time tomorrow night, show up at City Hall and look them in the eye when you tell them what a rotten idea this is because it shafts our small business owners.

All that legal paperwork for one simple convenience and it may or may not be as simple as we thought because of an additional fee. Unbelievable.

Remembering Veterans Day

While remembering Veterans Day, if you're at the Orchard Park Kroger, support the local VFW and wear a poppy today.



The Soldier

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.

By Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC



For my father, US Navy, 1950s
For my father-in-law 101st Airborne, WW2

For my great great great great grandfather, Thaddeus Skelton
Union Army Infantry, 84th Brooklyn Volunteers, 1861
Served with distinction at the First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas

For my great great great great great great great great great grandfather Captain Daniel Lyon, Continental Army of New York, 1776

For my great great great great great great great great great grandfather, Lt Nathaniel Tibbetts Jr, Continental Army of Massachussetts, 1776

For my great great great great great great great great great great great grandfather, Thomas Prence, Governor of Plymouth Colony during King Philips' War.

To everyone serving overseas, my prayers you get your jobs done and get home safely.

Opportunity Pounding: THIS is a property Dunwoody should buy

The infamously empty residential lot at the corner of Tilly Mill and North Peachtree is up for sale.  This sign had to be recent - maybe even today.  I happened to snag the photo while returning home.  I've heard all kinds of stories about this lot from "a house is going to be built there" to "someone cut down and stole the trees for firewood."

Here's why this would be a good purchase for Dunwoody:

• Given the size of the lot, it's probably not going to break the regular budget.  No bond referendums, etc.  Given its long time vacant status I predict there will be no bidding war.
• It is unoccupied.  No one is going to be displaced by the sale.  It shouldn't be hard to steer clear of the neighboring residential properties if you put your mind to it.
• The lot can be used to improve traffic in an intersection that carries more cars daily than it was designed for. Improving traffic flow in this growing area is a documented NEED, not a recreational WANT.
• The positive impact the realignment of the intersection provides will benefit anyone who drives on the road.  That's a cross-section of the entire "Dunwoody" community, including homeowners, renters, students, employees and commuters.
• Depending on the type of street alignment built, you can make it a secondary gateway, inside the city limits. Think of the foyer to a house and additional hallways are built off of it.  Great place to start the recently-discussed "wayfinding" system.  (Also useful, although I'd like to see some efforts to reach out to the "daytimer" community to find out what those needs really are before building anything.)

Talk about incredible timing!  Right after the majority of voters turned down the parks bonds, a piece of land crops up suddenly that fills a clear NEED to improve our basic infrastructure.  How lucky can you get??