I Never Thought I'd See The Day

You can buy liquor in Chico and I don't mean at the bootlegger! 

I might just have to open a liquor store. Problem is about 20 other people are thinking the very same thing and 19 of them have more money than I do. As many of you know I owned a liquor store in Azle for years, "DJ's". It wasn't a big place in a great location, just a nice neighborhood store. I also worked for the busiest stores in Texas at Centennial/Big Daddy's after I sold my place. So I've seen both ends of the scale, volume and product wise. I also know (or knew) my s**t when it comes to fine wine and spirits.

There's a 10 year or so gap I'd have to fill in on product knowledge, other than that I'm up to snuff. I studied to be a wine sommelier when I worked at Centennial/Big Daddy's. I did everything side by side with their Wine Consultants in training except take the sommelier test at "The Mansion" in Dallas. They wouldn't pay for me to take it because I was a Manager and not a Wine Consultant yet I had to do a Wine Consultant's job and was expected to know that info.

One of the perks of working for a mega-chain (besides selling wine to future high-tone bloggers) was the numerous weekly tutorial/tasting meetings with product reps. It's really a fascinating subject to learn and completely out of character for a redneck like me amongst all the wine snobs, and trust me there are smarmy wine snobs just like in the movies. (Bottle Shock really nails it!) But I think there will be a very low call for fine wine and a large call for cheap beer and whiskey in Chico, so all that studying and knowledge is really for naught.

Either way, I don't see the little Limestone Capitol of Texas generating enough business to support more than 2 liquor stores at the most and I already know who will opening the first one. Beer is another story, that will be available everywhere. There's going to be a bit of shock and controversy over a location that will be selling nobody THOUGHT would be able to. Note to The Chico Texan: You really need to know how TABC measures stuff before you print something.

I once told my BIL that I'd bet my bottom dollar Wise County would never go wet. Good thing he never took that bet! The times they are a-changin'.