By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Walmart cannot sell beer and wine at a Supercenter in Morrilton, the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board ruled today.
In a unanimous vote, the board upheld a Nov. 20 ruling by ABC Director Michael Langley that denied Walmart’s application for a permit to sell beer and small-farm wines at the store. Small-farm wines come from wineries that produce no more than 250,000 gallons of wine per year.
The vote came during a hearing in which opponents of the application, including state Rep. Johnny Hoyt, D-Morrilton, testified that the area is adequately served by existing outlets.
Charles Singleton, an attorney for the opponents, said 33 retail businesses in Conway County now sell beer, most of them in Morrilton, which has a population of 6,000.
Walmart attorney J. Cliff McKinney said many residents of dry Pope and Faulkner counties come to Morrilton to buy alcohol. He also argued that because Walmart carries a wide variety of merchandise, permitting beer and wine sales would serve the public’s convenience by allowing one-stop shopping.
“It’s environmentally friendly, if nothing else,” McKinney said.
Morrilton Police Chief Norbert Gunderman Jr. and Conway County Sheriff Mike Smith testified that granting the permit would make alcohol more accessible to young people, who they said tend to congregate in Walmart’s parking lot.
“There’s not a lot for young people to do in Morrilton,” Gunderman said.
James Bradshaw of Springfield cried as he told the board that about nine months ago his grandson was killed in a shooting in the Walmart parking lot in Morrilton. Alcohol sales would lead to more problems there, he testified.
McKinney argued that Walmart has an outstanding record of preventing alcohol sales to minors.
The board also heard from Mary Dillard, a consultant hired by the Conway County Beverage Association, who said that in the 1980s Conway County held an election to determine whether it would remain wet or go dry, and the issue bitterly divided the community. The dry side initially won by 33 votes, though the results were overturned because of voting irregularities, she said.
Allowing Walmart to sell alcohol could create new turmoil because “it’s still a divisive issue in the community,” Dillard said.
Board member Ron Fuller, who made the motion to uphold the director’s decision, said he has voted to approve permits for Walmart in the past, but he believed Morrilton was already adequately served.
Also, the fact that the parking lot is a gathering place for teens makes the case “unique,” Fuller said.
McKinney declined to say whether Walmart would appeal the ruling.
Walmart previously has obtained permits to sell beer and small-farm wines at 38 stores in Arkansas.
