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Shenk – Granby liquor store should be allowed

To the Editor:

I am expressing my support of the proposed liquor store at the City Market complex.

Pursuant to the public hearing and the town attorney (Krob) instructions, the applicant “…must determine that the neighborhood’s needs are not being met and that the majority of potential liquor consumers of legal age desire the store”. I offer myself as proof on both issues. I desire the store and my needs are not being met. I rarely shop at the existing Granby stores because the selection is insufficient and the prices are high, particularly in the wine department. I regularly shop at the Town of Fraser liquor stores which offer better prices, larger selections and a “buyers card” that banks a percentage of expenditure toward future purchases.



If you are a town trustee that believes the existing Granby stores meet the consumer needs, then I question whether you actually know what the needs are or what constitutes a good liquor store. Regardless of whether or not you are a consumer, you have an obligation to cast an educated vote rather than an emotional and/or ignorant one. Go make your own comparison. Drive to Fraser and examine the square footage, selection, displays and pricing.

There is a larger consumer base (“pie”) out there, like me. No, I am not a liar, they really do exist, just ask my friends. Not only do the existing Granby stores not get a piece of this “pie,” but I question whether they can. They simply are too small to meet the needs of the consumer who desires more variety and selection. This is synonymous to the old Granby grocery store compared to the new City Market.



The current arrangement of shopping at City Market, then driving to a downtown liquor store, is dysfunctional. It deters consumers rather than meet their needs. Remember that we regularly experience harsh weather around here. Driving and shopping is not just a matter of convenience but also a matter of safety and that, above all else, defines a “need.”

A few years ago, the Town of Granby chose to expand towards the City Market complex so as to provide improved services for the community and surrounding areas, away from the downtown. If you deny the proposed liquor store then you are diverting from this direction, suppressing what few new improvements are occurring locally, and ignoring the majority of consumers who desire the new store as evidenced by the applicant’s survey.

Tim Shenk

Granby


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