Wine and liquor store coming next to new Clinton Starbucks
Owners of what may be Clinton’s first liquor store announced this week that they plan to open their facility in early September in the same building as a new Starbucks coffee shop near Interstate 75’s Exit 122.
Savan Patel, who operates two other liquor stores in the Knoxville area, said Monday that his father, Suresh Patel, and brother, Alish Patel, will be the owners and managers of SP’s Wine & Liquor in the Glen Alpine Square shopping center on North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard across from Arby’s.
The 3,100-square-foot package store will share its building with the new Starbucks, which was announced in February. The new building is just west of the new Buddy’s bar-b-q restaurant that opened in December in the same center. That building will also soon house an urgent-care center.
Just east of Buddy’s will be a new stand-alone building housing a Sonic Drive-In, also part of the Glen Alpine development.
Developer Andy Hillmer said the new liquor store’s owners signed a lease for the space in March. The Starbucks is scheduled to open sometime in August.
Savan Patel said his father and brother hope that their portion of the building will be ready for them to have a grand opening of the liquor store on Sept. 1.
“Our plan is to feature great wine and liquor selections,” he said. “We will also have a selection of exclusive barrel whiskeys that we will be getting from bourbon distillers in Kentucky, as well as from Jack Daniel’s.
“We also plan to have a selection of good Tennessee moonshine brands, along with our fine wines at a great retail price. We’re looking forward to serving the community with a fine selection of wine and spirits.”
The store will have a total of five employees, and will be open seven days a week, Patel said. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, he said
Clinton voters approved a referendum question on Nov. 3 to allow package liquor sales inside the city limits, and several potential store operators have already expressed interest in opening stores.
Besides SP’s Wine & Liquor, there also are stores tentatively planned for the same building that houses the Habaneros Mexican restaurant on Joe Owen Road, on the east side of Interstate 75, and in the former Pizza Hut restaurant on North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard closer to downtown.