SPRING!

It's here.  

It's not here. 

It's here. 

Maybe. This Time. Spring will stay.

It's time to get outside and sweep.

The sand. 

The ice melt. 

The cigarette butts. 

They must go.

Give the windows a wash and let the sun in!

Go in the back room and throw some stuff out!

Go through your desk and throw some more stuff out.

Go to your in box and delete a lot of stuff.

Brighten up your displays.

Move some trendy, high margin items near the cash register.

See if your local grocery store wants to co-op on a beer and brat coupon.

Be brave, order something new.

If you don't have frozen pouches of cocktails yet, get some so you will be ready when that one glorious day arrives and your customers are ready for some relaxation outside.

Put some more white wine in the cooler.

Send in your registration for the MMBA annual conference.

Make a change!!!

Enjoy the new season!

Cathy Pletta
Kasson Liquor 

Construction work has begun to give a city-owned business more space.  

And at a recent groundbreaking ceremony for the new Marshall municipal liquor store location, local officials and liquor store staff said it was the end of a long wait.

"It's taken a long time to come together, and now it has," said municipal liquor store manager Scott VanMoer. 

He said he and store staff are looking forward to completion of the new building. 

"It's going to be very friendly for customers, and it's going to be better parking."

Local officials gathered to break ground for the new Marshall municipal liquor store. 

The store is planned to open sometime this fall.

Construction of the new liquor store location, named Tall Grass Liquor, is planned to be finished sometime this fall. 

Despite the name change, the store will still be city-owned, and act as a source of revenue for municipal projects, said Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes and Marshall City Administrator Ben Martig.

The municipal liquor store has had a productive place in the Marshall community, Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes said at the groundbreaking.

"The purpose of a municipal liquor store is twofold: one is control, and the other is revenue," Byrnes said. 

Over the years, Marshall liquor store has ranked among the top municipal liquor stores in Minnesota for net sales, and has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars toward city projects like libraries and roads.

"It's a well-run operation," Byrnes said.

Martig said the city worked with the Southwest Minnesota State University Marketing Advisory Committee to help get a sense of customers' needs and market the liquor store. 

Martig said the name "Tallgrass Liquor" was chosen because it reflects the Minnesota prairie and the people who live there. 

It also evokes the quality of life in southwest Minnesota and an appreciation of the outdoors, he said.

Martig said and VanMoer said a new or updated liquor store building had been needed for years. 

The existing municipal liquor store was built in 1972, and has limited display space and parking.

Martig said previous liquor store manager Jim Van Hyfte had brought the request to him back when Martig started working as Marshall city administrator.

"We realized that we needed to serve customers differently," Martig said.

"It will be a better environment," Byrnes said of the new store. 

Its location in a developing commercial neighborhood should be good for business, too.

"This is a location that's really a heavy retail area," Byrnes said. 

Groundwork for the store is being completed at the corner of Boyer Drive and Margaret Avenue, a location that's both close to U.S. Highway 59 and businesses like Walmart, Menards and Pizza Ranch.

The new liquor store will have an area of about 12,000 square feet, said architect Ron Halgerson. 

The sales floor will have 5,600 square feet of space, which will be more than double the size of the current store.

"It's really designed as a shopping experience," Halgerson said, with wide aisles and more room for displays. 

He said the increased sales and cooler space mean the liquor store will be able to stock a bigger selection of products.