City’s first two package stores near completion
Two retail liquor and wine package stores are close to opening in Clinton, one of them possibly as early as Dec. 1, in the wake of voter approval of package stores in the city in a referendum in November 2020.
SP’s Wine & Liquor could be the first to open, said Savan Patel, whose father and brother will be the owners of the store at 2170 N. Charles G. Seivers Blvd.
Suresh Patel, the father, owns 70-percent of the business, while the brother, Alish Patel, owns 30-percent.
Their store is in the same building as the new Starbuck’s coffee shop, which is also close to opening just west of the building housing Buddy’s bar-b-q.
Savan Patel said the owners are still waiting for an air-conditioning unit to be installed, which was supposed to have been done in October.
“We are hoping to get that done so we can open Dec. 1, and if it’s still delayed, maybe Dec. 15,” he said. “But if we miss that date, we probably won’t open until February.”
SP’s Wine & Liquor was provisionally issued a license to sell wine and spirits by the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission Board last Thursday, Nov. 18, pending the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the building by the city of Clinton, and an inspection by ABC agents.
If SP’s doesn’t open until February, though, it will most likely be Clinton’s second package store.
That’s because another Patel family plans to open MS Wine & Liquor at 115 N. Charles G. Seivers Blvd., next door to the China Inn, in the Centre Plaza shopping center, in mid-January.
One of the three partners in MS Wine & Liquor, Mitulkumar Patel, said their store still has some interior work left to do, but that shelving and the front counter have already been installed.
MS Wine & Liquor was also granted a provisional license by the ABC Board last Thursday, contingent on the owners submitting a “corrected lease” and paying the license fee, according to the ABC.
Mitulkumar Patel said he already owns a package store in Morristown, where he lives, and has two gas stations in Jefferson City. His partners in MS Wine & Liquor are his cousins, Priteshkumar Patel and Rinkeshkumar Patel, and each person owns one-third interest in the business, according to the state license, as granted.
“We hoped to be open by now, but we had to change a lot of things inside the building to bring it up to code,” Mitulkumar Patel said.
The shopping center’s owner, Coastal Equities, obtained a building permit from the city of Clinton in August for a $7,000 interior renovation for the package store.
MS Wine & Liquor will be open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m., Mitulkumar Patel said.
Meanwhile, SP’s Wine & Liquor also will offer a variety of wine and spirits, Savan Patel said.
“My father and brother’s plan is to feature great wine and liquor selections,” he said. “They will also have a selection of exclusive barrel whiskeys they will be getting from bourbon distillers in Kentucky, as well as from Jack Daniel’s.
“They also plan to have a selection of good Tennessee moonshine brands, along with fine wines at a great retail price.”
SP’s 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.