By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board on Thursday approved beer and small-farm wine permits for a Walmart Neighborhood Market and a Walmart Supercenter in Fayetteville, the first grocery stores in the city to be approved for alcohol sales.
The board denied a permit for another Walmart Supercenter in Fayetteville.
The board approved a permit for Walmart Neighborhood Market on East Citizens Drive and a permit for Walmart Supercenter on North Mall Avenue, overturning Oct. 22 rulings by ABC Director Michael Langley to deny the permits. Board member J.J. Vigneault was not present.
Langley had refused the permits after receiving letters of opposition from Fayetteville Police Chief Greg Tabor, state Sen. Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville, local church leaders and area residents.
After the board heard testimony from both sides Thursday on the Neighborhood Market, the first of the three stores it considered, member Tony Ellis moved to uphold the director’s decision, but the motion died for lack of a second.
Member Ron Fuller then moved to overturn the director’s decision, saying he was satisfied that Walmart does a good job of preventing alcohol sales to minors. The motion passed 3-1.
“Their system that they’ve got, while it may have a hole or two in it, is probably as good as we’ve seen or as good as we’re going to see,” Fuller said.
During the hearing, John Everett, an attorney representing the Washington County Beverage Association, argued that Fayetteville is already adequately served by existing retail outlets that sell alcohol, mainly liquor stores.
Walmart officials testified that more than 600 customers have signed petitions in support of beer and wine sales at Walmart stores in Fayetteville.
The officials also testified that the company’s registers require a customer’s date of birth to be entered before the customer can make an alcohol purchase, and the registers automatically lock down if an employee under 21 tries to ring up an alcohol sale.
They also said it is the company’s policy to fire any employee who sells alcohol to a minor.
Fayetteville resident Larry Ash told the board he was concerned that underage college students would find ways to get beer through Walmart’s self-checkout stations. He said his daughter admitted to him that she has done this, though not in Arkansas and not at Walmart.
Walmart attorney J. Cliff McKinney asked Ash if he was aware of any such incidents occurring at any of Walmart’s Arkansas stores. Ash said he was not.
Madison said she also was concerned about underage drinking.
“College kids are very resourceful,” she said.
The board voted unanimously to approve the permit for the Walmart Supercenter on North Mall Avenue, after hearing testimony that the nearest retail outlet with alcohol sales is several miles away.
The board voted 4-0 to uphold Langley’s Oct. 22 decision to deny a beer and small-farm wine permit to a Walmart Supercenter on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, after hearing testimony about crime and traffic problems in the area.
Also Thursday, the board voted 3-1 to uphold Langley’s Oct. 22 decision to deny a beer permit to Crossover Corner on North Crossover Road in Fayetteville.
Madison and state Rep. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, testified in opposition to the convenience store’s application. They said the store is near three facilities that treat young people with behavior problems, and allowing beer sales at the store would increase the chances of some of those youths obtaining alcohol.
The store’s owner, Manish Patel, said he would never sell alcohol to a minor.
In a 4-0 vote, the board upheld Langley’s Oct. 22 decision not to allow beer and wine to be served at Uncle Bob’s Karaoke on Divoky south of Pine Bluff.
Owner Bob Perkins said his business is a private club with a board of directors that reviews every new application for membership. He said serving beer and wine would not change the nature of the club, most of whose members are over age 50.
Prosecutor Steve Dalrymple, Maj. Greg Bolin of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and area residents testified that alcohol sales would be inappropriate for a club located in a rural residential area.
The board also voted 4-0 to uphold Langley’s Aug. 20 decision to grant a private club license to Touchdown Sally’s at 17332 Interstate 30 in Benton. Area residents had appealed the decision.
State Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, sent the board a letter in support of the application. No elected officials voiced opposition.
