Gary’s Liquor Agency scheduled to close in the coming months due to liquor license buyout by Buehler’s
Anya Cohen
Managing Editor
The city of Wooster’s lone liquor permit for retail sales is changing hands in January from Gary’s Liquor Agency to Buehler’s Fresh Foods. Liquor sales will only be added to Buehler’s Milltown store (located at 3540 Burbank Rd.), but beer and wine will continue to be sold at their other locations.
Although Gary’s will officially close around Jan. 6, Buehler’s will continue liquor sales out of the Gary’s location until the Milltown store is finished with renovations. Once the renovations are finished in June or July 2014, liquor will begin to be sold out of the grocery store.
The change of ownership will not affect liquor prices. “The prices have to remain the same,” said Buehler’s vice president of marketing and merchandise Bob Buehler. “The liquor pricing is controlled by the state of Ohio, which means the pricing will be exactly the same.”
The closure of Gary’s marks the end of a 14-year-old business venture for Don Shoup, President of Gary’s. In 2000, Shoup purchased Wooster’s liquor contract and opened Gary’s with his friend Gary Wertenberger. In an interview with The Daily Record, Shoup said, “We are both proud [of Gary’s] and we’re proud Buehler’s will get it to continue into the future.”
The Gary’s shutdown means retirement for Shoup, who said, “I’ve been employed for 53 years. I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do in retirement.”
Buehler’s bought Gary’s liquor license, rather than purchasing an entirely new license, due to an Ohio law that dictates the number of liquor stores allowed per municipality. Ohio state law says that anything with alcohol content greater than 21 percent (42 proof) is property of the state and is under its control. Currently, Ohio allows one state liquor license for every 25,000 registered voters. This regulation means that only one retail sales liquor permit is allowed in the city of Wooster.
According to an article in The Daily Record, the proposed floor plan for the Milltown store places the liquor, beer and wine where the produce section is currently located. Unlike Gary’s, Buehler’s will accept credit and debit cards as a form of payment.