Shreveport Dollar Stores Want in on the Alcohol Action
Things could be changing in a big way on alcohol sales in Shreveport. Last month, the City Council voted to do away with the separate entrance requirement for alcohol sales at retail stores. Now applications are beginning to come in from retailers who want to add alcohol to store shelves.
The Inquisitor of Shreveport reports at least two local discount stores have filed an application to sell alcohol. The Family Dollar Store in the 2700 block of West 70th and the Dollar General Store on West 84th Street in Cedar Grove have filed applications to sell alcohol. The Family Dollar Store application to the ATC to sell beer and wine. The store did not request the ok to sell hard liquor.
Shreveport leaders have been struggling to find an answer to the recent enforcement of liquor ordinances on the books. For many years, these ordinances have not been enforced.
But recently, Chief Wayne Smith told the Shreveport Council his officer started enforcing the law and businesses selling anything other than alcohol were required to have a separate entrance. That ordinance was jeopardizing dozens of businesses in the city. So the council made the change. Now the floodgates are opening up with stores requesting liquor licenses.
The city does have many limits in place to keep alcohol sales from popping up everywhere. There are limits on how close the business can be to homes. Restrictions are also in place on the hours of operations. The big box stores like Walmart will no longer have to have separate entrances for the sale of alcohol, but there's been no word yet if those stores will be moving the alcohol inside their stores and doing away with the separate entrances.
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