The idea of bringing booze to retail establishments? Not yet in CB

Out-of-the-box “experiential retail”

by Mark Reaman

An idea to allow liquor sales in retail establishments in Crested Butte received a somewhat frosty reception at a September Town Council meeting,

The request came from Lisa Cramton and Travis Underwood of Chopwood Mercantile who had hoped to serve beer and wine in their outdoor retail establishment on Elk Avenue.

Crested Butte building and zoning director Bob Gillie presented the council with pros and cons of the idea but was admittedly not a big fan of it. He expressed that a big can of worms would be opened and the staff hadn’t figured out how to regulate such a “hybrid” business proposal. Issues such as parking and sewer-and-water tap fees are calculated based on the type of business being proposed in town. A bar or restaurant has stricter regulations and higher fees compared to retail establishments.

“Under the current code, this is not an option but the council can change that,” Gillie explained. “The state apparently allows it but the council has to look at the philosophical and practical aspects of the proposal. There are some benefits to the town but they don’t seem worth opening retail to alcohol.”

In a memo to the council, Gillie pointed out there are currently 51 liquor outlets in Crested Butte, “purportedly the highest number per capita in the state.” He asked if it was desirable to expand alcohol use in town.

On the practical side, he said, there were several questions. First would be the idea of a fair rule set to those bars and restaurants that have paid higher tap fees and met more stringent parking requirements.

“The model we are proposing has been used in other small towns,” said Cramton. “It is unique and we see it as a service to our customers.”

“We are not looking to be another bar,” added Underwood. “The business plan is to have similar operations in Denver and Phoenix. It is happening in the outdoor industry.”

“It is a gray area and they are asking for a hybrid use, with the primary function being retail,” said Gillie.

“I see it as being analogous to short-term vacation rentals in town,” said councilman Chris Ladoulis. “How can a VRBO not have the same rules as a hotel? If a restaurant needs twice as many parking spaces, where is the level playing field? That’s my key concern.”

“We only want a max of four beer taps and to be able to sell some wine,” said Underwood. “We would keep our hours, which are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. We anticipate alcohol being less than 10 percent of our sales. We don’t want to be a bar.”

“It seems a strange mix to me,” said councilperson Jim Schmidt. “I’m conflicted on this. I’m not sure it is appropriate or not.”

“It seems we have plenty of places to get a drink in town already but the idea seems pretty cool,” said councilperson Glenn Michel. “It might work better in a larger municipality. This sounds like a place I might have a drink but it appears too tight, with too little space, so I’m not in support.”

“I am for it,” countered Ladoulis. “Local retailers are at a disadvantage with the Internet. This creates an experiential retail experience, so I am in support.”

“I agree that it is unique,” said councilman Roland Mason. “I am in favor of out-of-the-box ideas.”

“Keep in mind this idea would impact a lot of places in the future,” said Michel. “We need to make a decision not just based on this one request.”

“I feel like we need to do more research on this. There are lots of concerns and there aren’t any representatives of other restaurants and bars in town,” said councilmember Shaun Matusewicz.

“I’m not really boogie-woogie about it,” said councilmember Skip Berkshire. “Just because it is happening in other places doesn’t work for me. I prefer organic ideas that stem from Crested Butte. We need to stay unique. Importing fads from other places puts me off a bit. And thinking to the future, if you do it, will the Alpineer want to do it? Will the Mountain Store and Big Al’s feel they have to keep up? Will it start a trend? Plus, the list of complexities compiled by the staff is another nail in the coffin for me.”

“Personally, I think we should embrace new ideas,” said mayor Aaron Huckstep. “I think it could be a cool environment.”

“The complexity of good regulations and the fairness is an issue with me,” said Schmidt.

“The complexities would grow with the size of the operation,” added Gillie. “I don’t know where this would go and if we write a new ordinance we should have an idea of where it goes.”

“I hope this starts a conversation on how to make retail more vibrant in town,” said Ladoulis.

“There are ways to cap the numbers like Durango does with vacation rentals,” said Huckstep. “We sort of did the same thing with retail marijuana licenses.”

With four of the seven council members speaking against the proposal, the idea was put on hold for the time being.