Liquor store to be private business

In November, opinions soared over Initiative 1183, which sought to move liquor sales and distribution in Washington to the private sector. Supporters said it would improve consumer choice but opponents argued that small businesses would be hurt.

When voters approved the initiative, they sealed the fate of the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB). By June 1 WSLCB will close state liquor store and distribution operations.

For Janell Seaberg, manager of the Cathlamet Liquor Store, the practice of selling liquor will be nothing new. However, she is making the transition from state-run liquor store to running a privately owned business.

“I am going to operate the store independently,” she said this week. “The unknowns aren’t really about the rules right now. I’ve applied for my permits and am just waiting for them to come through. It’s a process.”

Already more than 850 stores throughout the state have applied for licenses to sell liquor. The Liquor Control Board projects the number will eventually increase to more than 1,400.

As grocery outlets, drug stores and retail chains, like Costco, begin stocking their shelves with liquor the market is likely to become far more competitive.

For Cathlamet, Seaberg’s addition of an independent, locally owned business has the capacity to strengthen the economic base of our community, but with “unknowns” still in the air and rules still being developed, the transition to independent business continues to be a process.