By Grace Webb, northfieldnews.com
Northfield residents may start shopping for their liquor needs at a different building depending on discussion by the City Council about a possible new liquor store.
According to a memo by City Administrator Nick Haggenmiller, Mayor Dana Graham has directed staff to put together notes, studies and historical information so that the council can discuss the option of a new facility.
Haggenmiller said this information will be discussed at a council work session in early 2015.
Liquor Operations Director Steve DeLong said he is extremely interested in moving into a bigger facility.
In fact, he was the one who brought the idea to the council.
"I've thought [we needed one] since day one," he said. "We're drastically undersized."
DeLong said there are several reasons he is in favor of moving to a new store.
The current store's location is off Division Street and makes it difficult to access, and the limited parking is also a problem.
DeLong said the store's layout is also difficult.
Since it is on two levels, it's not compliant with handicapped regulations, and the cramped space makes it difficult to set up displays.
"The size really limits our ability to sell merchandise," he said.
He added that another problem is the store's limited cooler space. Right now, there are 10 coolers, but DeLong said it would be better to have closer to 30.
Because there's so little space, more than half of the store's supply of beer has to sit out on the floor instead, and employees spend about 40 hours a week restocking supplies.
This makes it difficult for DeLong to take advantage of all the liquor selections available, since he doesn't have space to store them all. This can cause difficulties since the industry is often driven by the newest flavors and varied microbrews.
"Trying to keep up is difficult," he said.
If he were able to buy more supplies, not only would he be able to offer a bigger selection, but he'd also likely get deals for better prices, he said.
This isn't the first time there has been talk of constructing a new building.
A push for a new store arose when a routine Occupational Health and Safety Administration inspection in June 2008 found some issues, which were repaired in 2009 instead of the moving to a different site.
Inspectors deemed the stairway, which was widened, too narrow, and said that the electrical panel, which used to sit above the conveyor belt system, was difficult to access, so the conveyor belt was moved to the other side.
Plans to move to a new location were dropped when a suitable site couldn't be found, be DeLong said this would be a good time to start looking again, while bond interest rates are low.
While he said the change hasn't become critical yet, he does believe the current situation is impeding the store's success.
"There's a ceiling on how much we can grow that wouldn't be true in a new store," he said. "If we want to be in the liquor business, let's really do it right."
DeLong said the new store could be paid for out of the store's savings, adding that the store has been doing well despite its cramped quarters.
So far this year, profits are up by 4 percent compared to 2013.
The store made a profit of about $212,500 last year, according to Finance Director Melanie Scholmann.
According to Haggenmiller, the liquor store annually raises about $125,000 to $130,000 to the general fund, amounting to the equivalent of about 2 percent savings to the levy.
