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A larger customer-friendly store with a beachy feel.
That’s exactly what the Oak Island ABC board hopes to achieve when it builds a new store. Recently, the board began soliciting feedback from citizens about a proposed location at the corner of 79th Street NE and Oak Island Drive.
Board chairman Jack Moore explained they selected that location because they needed an available site that was zoned commercial and was large enough to accommodate the town’s growth. The board wants the new store to be in the 5,500 to 7,000 sq. ft. range.
“We can’t carry all the things we’re being asked for now,” Moore said.
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The current store, built in 2001, was designed to handle $1 million in annual sales. For fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, records on the North Carolina ABC Commission’s website show the Oak Island store reported $4,447,899 in gross sales. The store is projected to do $5 million in fiscal year 2022.
“Logistically, it’s a problem for staff to keep the shelves stocked and inventory in the warehouse,” Moore said.
He believes a larger store will better serve their customers.
In addition to the board’s wish list for the building’s design, they also plan to keep as many indigenous trees on the site as possible when constructing the new store.
The board will gather feedback from citizens through December 18. Moore expects they will receive all the necessary construction approvals around the end of January. At that point, the board will begin talking with builders and architects. Moore anticipates it will take about three years to complete the project.
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Moore said the ABC board plans to use bank financing during the construction of the store, and he notes the funds for construction will not come from the town or the state. It will be funded through annual sales and money saved in the store’s capital expenditure fund.
“The store will pay for itself over time,” he said.
The Oak Island ABC board is among the latest to build a new store. Southport, Shallotte and Holden Beach ABC boards have all built larger stores in recent years.
“It’s just like any other business,” Moore said. “You need to expand if you’re going to keep serving your customers, and that’s what we’re going to do.”