First potential liquor store owners come forward

The first two individuals have taken the first step in obtaining a package liquor license, filing notices of intent to sell alcohol and/or beer under Corbin’s new package alcohol ordinance.

Guy R. Jones and John Christopher Davenport have announced their intention to open Liquor Station near Trademart Shopping Center on U.S. 25E.

Dennise and Marlene Crawford have announced their intention to seek a license to sell package beer at Mohican Discount Tobacco on Cumberland Falls Hwy.

Under the terms of the ordinance, which went into effect last Friday, retailers selling package beer and hard liquor must be separate businesses. Businesses selling packaged beer must be part of a larger business that generates at least $5,000 from the sale of other merchandise.

The next step for these potential vendors is to obtain a state application for an alcohol license, which is available online at, http://abc.ky.gov/Pages/applicationschedules.aspx

Before the application is sent to Frankfort, Bruce Rains, the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Officer, must sign off on it.

"The state will look it over and if it is approved, they will send you a license," Rains said of the application process.

The state license must then be brought back to Rains along with a completed city application, for him to approve.

The city application is available online at http://www.corbin-ky.gov/index.php/business/alcohol-a-beverage-control-abc
Rains said the process is the same, whether the applicant is seeking a package or by-the drink license and can take about 30 days.

"You have to go through the state if you want anything," Rains said.

Each license must be renewed annually.

The cost of the beer license is $200 annually and $800 for package liquor. In addition, the city will receive five percent of the gross revenue businesses make from the sale of package liquor.

In the ordinance, officials said the percentage, along with a similar percentage received from the sale of alcohol by the drink, would reimburse the city for the cost of police and administrative expenses related to the sale of alcohol.

At the Corbin City Commission’s monthly meeting on April 9, Rains told the commissioner, he had more than 25 people come into his officer to inquire about obtaining a license.