SNOW HILL – In spite of previous plans to relocate the Snow Hill liquor store, county officials this week agreed to close the shop next month.
Shore Spirits, located just off Route 113 in Snow Hill, will be shuttered Dec. 31. The store’s two employees will be relocated to fill vacancies in the county’s other liquor stores.
“I don’t think it’s good business for the county to be running a business that’s going to operate with a loss,” said Bobby Cowger, director of Worcester County’s Department of Liquor Control (DLC).
Cowger recommended the closure. He told the Worcester County Commissioners Tuesday that the store had always struggled to make money and with the recent issuance of a private liquor license to IGA in Snow Hill, Shore Spirits would have competition.
Cowger said pricing at the county’s store was in line with that of the other business but the fact that shoppers would have another place in Snow Hill to purchase liquor would hurt the store’s bottom line.
“We don’t need to be trying to absorb a loss,” he said.
The DLC is already experiencing a drop in income following the loss of wholesale revenue that began July 1, when the county’s alcoholic beverage licensees were able to start dealing directly with wholesalers. Prior to that, businesses with alcohol licenses had no choice but to order liquor through Cowger’s department.
The fact that the number of stores selling liquor has also jumped from seven to 14 in recent months hasn’t helped the DLC either, Cowger said.
In October, Cowger reported that the department’s revenue was already down 35 percent. Six people were laid off then as a result.
Cowger said county officials considered relocating Shore Spirits to the DLC’s headquarters on Snow Hill Road. Cost estimates associated with renovating space at the DLC building for the retail store came in higher than expected, though, which prompted Cowger to suggest closing the store.
Initial bids for the work came in at $238,700 and $184,596. Another set of proposals solicited from local contractors were more affordable but still suggested the project would cost close to $50,000.
“The cost of it was well over what we wanted to spend,” Cowger said.