After months of legal delays, Ernie’s Spirits finally to open in Corbin

Above, Bronson Neace sells a bottle of bourbon whiskey to Ben Gess at Ernie’s Spirits Monday. The store officially opened to the public Wednesday.

When Ernie’s Spirits officially opens its doors to customers for the first time today, it will be a special day for owner Kevin Durham whose father is the stores namesake.

Ernie Durham, who was to be a business partner in the venture with his son, died in March before the 5,000 square feet store on Cumberland Falls Hwy. in Corbin was even completed.

“It’s exciting. It’s sort of special for my whole family,” Kevin Durham said Monday, whilst busily preparing Ernie’s Spirits for its “soft opening” today.

“My father was in business for a long time. I think most of the people that shopped with him did so because of his personality,” Durham said. “I’ve had people in here already and ask ‘Is this place Ernie’s … Ernie Durham?’”

Durham said his father was a rather famous citizen in Richmond. His store, on Main Street right in the heart of town, was named Ernie’s as well. He gave up a milk distributorship when his son was very young to go into the liquor business.

“He decided that liquor might be a more lucrative business than milk,” Kevin Durham says with a laugh.

“It happened when I was very young. I worked for him a lot and helped out on weekends. I sort of grew up in the business … When people asked me what he did, I always said he was a businessman, but as soon as they knew I was his son they knew exactly what he did. It was good. It was a fun thing.”

Kevin Durham came to be a liquor storeowner in a somewhat sideways fashion as well. He’s a trained geologist who graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1990 and worked most of his career, primarily, as an environmental expert for a circuit board manufacturer. When the company was considering buying land to operate a facility in places like China, Mexico or Brazil, Durham would calculate the environmental liability involved and coordinate any cleanup efforts necessary.
It kept him on the road and away from home … a lot.

But with the birth of his second child, the pressure to be at home more started to become a priority.

The liquor business beckoned once again.

Durham is partnered with the owners of Liquor Mart in locations in Richmond, Danville and Lancaster. He served as manager of a Liquor Mart store in Richmond for years. In Corbin, he decided to strike out on his own.

“I thought Corbin would be an exciting opportunity if I was able to get one of the licenses here,” Durham said. “It is sort of an island so you draw people in from many different communities. It has a large drawing area per store. I think everybody that applied saw it as a good business opportunity.”

Durham was hoping to open Ernie’s Spirits in May, but was entangled in a nasty, public dispute with the Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Control Board over the legitimacy of his initial application for a license. The ABC eventually sought to revoke his license to sell distilled spirits and refused to give him a license to sell malt beverages. Following a series of hearings that stretched on for months, Durham eventually won the costly battle.

In hindsight, he said the fight to obtain and retain his licenses gave him a chance to enjoy being with his children more and doing some consulting work on the side. While it was a setback, he’s hoping to overcome it and carve out his own niche in the Corbin market.

“I’ve had people come in and say, ‘We’d been hoping you’d open. We’ve been pulling for you,’” Durham said. “I’ve had good response. I think the community has had a lot of empathy for what I went through.”

“In the end, the system worked. I don’t think it hurt me,” Durham adds. “I’ll let you know in a year’s time.”

Ernie’s will have eight employees on the payroll starting out, almost all of them from the local area. Durham said he would like to see that swell to 15 or 16 if business allows, though he does want to monitor closely his hiring so the people he does hire can make a decent living.

Ernie’s, Durham added, will specialize in customer service and a good selection and knowledge of wines. The store will also feature a robust selection of craft beers and a large “beer cave.”

“What we have now is just the starting point,” Durham said. “We are going to see things we know are missing that we are going to add to our inventory, and we will listen to our customers very intensely to make sure we have what they want … We will be very fluid in our stock.”

Ernie’s will be open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. until midnight and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.