State approves King ABC store location

The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Commission approved a proposed ABC store location in King at its regular monthly meeting held on July 10.

The new store will be located at 501 S. Main St. as requested by the Stokes Municipal ABC Board.

Walnut Cove Fire Chief Brian Booe, who chairs the Stokes Municipal ABC Board, said in a July 11 interview that the approval process involved a period of public comment.

“We had to place a sign at the proposed site for 30 days and during that time frame had to take any comments from the general public, whether it was for support or opposition, at the location,” he said.

The public input was submitted to the ABC commission along with other required information such as a proposed budget, a lease agreement with the property owner and financial conflict disclosures from each local ABC board member.

Booe noted that most of the input was negative but that statutory safeguards already address safety and security concerns.

“ABC stores are governed differently than convenience stores,” Booe said. “There’s no loitering allowed, we’ve got security systems in place, we have to have a contract with law enforcement.”

Booe used the ABC store at 521 N. Main St. in Walnut Cove as an example.

“That’s been here since 1969, and we have two churches, three schools and a library right next to the store and we haven’t had any issues,” he said.

Advertising of liquor was another concern voiced by members of the public.

“You see beer and wine commercials, but you never see liquor commercials,” Booe said. “That’s all governed by the ABC Commission; we cannot do that.”

The local ABC Board will also be required to do alcohol education and put funding towards mental health and rehabilitation programs.

Retail liquor sales are governed more strictly than beer and wine, which are available at several Main Street locations in King, Booe said.

A retired City of King employee, Booe said he understood the concerns.

“We’re not going to do anything that’s going to jeopardize anybody’s safety,” he said. “We’re just doing what the citizens voted for.”

In the November 2022 election, King voters decided by a 1977 to 1162 vote to allow an ABC store in the town, according to North Carolina State Board of Election results .

The previously separate King and Walnut Cove ABC boards merged to form the Stokes Municipal ABC Board. King officials approved the merger in August 2023; Walnut Cove officials approved the merger in September 2023.

The Walnut Cove ABC store will remain open after the King location is operational.

Booe said the new store will up and running as soon as possible but did provide a specific time frame. The existing contents will need to be removed from the property, and the location will require interior and exterior renovations.