[Said Councilman Eric] Turner, who along with Councilman Clyde Gulley, were the only two to vote against the [Wal-Mart package liquor license] denial. “This is a national corporation trying to create an opportunity to compete with their competitors.”
—Journal Star, 3/26/08
I’ve been sobbing all morning about poor old Wal-Mart being denied that package liquor license at last night’s council meeting. Whatever will the Walton family do? How will they survive? How can they overcome this detrimental competitive disadvantage? Oh, woe is Wal-Mart! Is there no justice for this poor, persecuted store? Boo-hoo-hoo!
I was moved by Eric Turner as well – he gave quite the emotional testimonial. I think the Walmart lawyer said they had mailed a notice to anyone within 300feet (from their front door?) – don’t know how many houses behind the eastside of University that would hit but I’m guessing not many. He also said they posted a notice on their door. Anyone who isn’t quite as rah rah for Walmart as Eric Turner – or for whatever reason doesn’t frequent the store – may not have seen the notice. Congratulations to BVA for sticking up for the wishes of her district.
Helping Walmart compete, not the type of advocacy I want from my city council members. Help the locally owned businesses compete with the big box stores. As long as we have the right demographics the big boxes will descend like locusts, this is not the case for smaller businesses, local shops are what make a town unique and almost all of the money made at local businesses stays in play in the local economy. Save your crocodile tears for another day councilman and work to help your fellow Peorians, let some councilman in Arkansas shed tears for Wal-Mart.
Yea, Sheridan Road Liquors and Forrest Hill Liquors are much better neighbors than Wal-Mart. Just go there at about 9pm on a weekend night and see for yourself.
Peoriafan, the activity that takes place at Sheridan Road Liquors and Forrest Hill Liquors is precisely why the neighbors don’t want liquor at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart already has trouble with violence in their parking lot at night; why would the neighbors want to add alcohol to the mix?
Yea, but maybe then we could contain all the problems at the Wal-Mart and get them out of the residential neighborhoods. Wal-Mart has excellent security to deal with these issues according to the lawyer guy from Chicago.
C.J. — come on now, that ain’t going to happen. Why not let citizens pick up a six pack when they are getting their other essentials at Wal-mart. They aren’t and wouldn’t cater to the liquor crowd that hangs around those other two places. Why shouldn’t they have the same right to sell booze as any other store. Having said all that…i personally think that store location should be bulldozed. It’s an eyesore and a poorly maintained area.
Cj,
you must not have talked to the neighbors around Sheridan Liquors. If you paid attention to the council meeting. Ardis reported that one neighborhood south of forrest hill was for the Wal Mart liquor based on the following: Wal Mart is not in a residential area, it’s commercial. It is well lit, there is security (for what it is). It would compete with some of the problem areas drawing at least some of those folks from my area to a commercial area vs. a residental area. I will gladly share the wealth of problem people that want to make our area decline.
I would also note that there was highly organized neighborhood opposition against the Adams St Grocery store having liquor, from all over the city.
We and others stood behind our south end neighbors. We had to attend the liquor commisstion meetings, contact the commissioners and the city council members. Those efforts were ignored by some of the same folks who now opposed the Wal Mart store having liquor. Adams st. store is flanked by low income residential units with a bar and another liquor store within convienent walking distance. Wal Mart is not flanked by any houses. The nearest neighborhood association is across university behind the businesses on the east side. Traffic noise and loud music from Univeristy would seem to be larger concern for that area.
There was no organized neighborhood opposition to Wal Mart having liquor either speaking at the council meeting or at the liquor commission. Fighting in the parking lot, tends to occur from juvenile and young adult fights started at Nova Cinemas and carrying through to the Wal Mart area, or by people leaving (what was) Nova to go to wal mart to hang out and shop lift in the store. Perhaps enforcement of the curfew would resolve that problem. Perhaps enforcing conduct at Nova would also Efforts to eliminate the problems at Sheridan and McClure have been spear headed solely by our neighborhood associations and watches in conjunction with the police. There is absolutely no outcry from the council or liquor commission at this location, Forrest Hill, Main St. and Griswald…all flanked by houses. I specifically invited a councilman to come and watch from 11pm-1am on a warm weekend night. humm. No response. Several of these folks won’t set foot in problem areas, but can sure pipe when there are issues with economic development in wealthier areas, or business concerns.
Lesson learned. If you pay attention and are organized, but you’re poor and/or your houses have little value, you carry little clout. If you are not well organized but have valueable property you have solid representation.
People worry about race decrimination. Quite frankly there is much more serious class discrimination that openly goes on in our community.
Ordinarily we would be against adding liquor into a neighborhood based on our experiences with drawing problem people from all over the city and even significant draws from other surrounding towns (EG: Chillicothe, Metamora, Germantown Hills, and Washington and Morton). Apparantly one can’t buy alcohol in any of those towns or the 1/2 dozen other establishments they pass on the way to our neighborhood. And since they wont crap in their own back yard, they come here to buy/sell drugs, whore to gang bangers, bless us with their music all night etc. But again, no concern from some of our officials, suspect it has to do with property values, or lack thereof. We have all worked hard with the police and code to help make this area better, but any lapse in vigilence and it quickly resorts back to significant problems.
And a tangential comment to Paul’s post …
“If you pay attention and are organized, but you’re poor and/or your houses have little value, you carry little clout.”
Does anyone know if the story floating around that there is no HILP money this year? Heard that the city did not apply for any moneys because it was not worth it to spend money on houses in older neighborhoods that are worth so little? Anyone know?
The closing Wal-Mart on University will commence in 10, 9, 8, … months.
“If you pay attention and are organized, but you’re poor and/or your houses have little value, you carry little clout. If you are not well organized but have valuable property you have solid representation.”
Lesson’s also learned.
If you are poor and live in low income areas you are much less likely to vote. No vote, no clout.
The better off you are, the more likely you are to vote. If you vote, you have more clout.
I predict that when the U. St. WalleyWorld closes the crime rate at the Allen Rd. WalleyWorld will rise.
Maybe. I think they will go to the one in East Peoria, it is closer.
I was thinking, as I read of Wal-Mart’s 106 billion dollar fourth quarter sales, ” I wonder if there is anything the city of Peoria could do to help them be more competitive?”
mahkno,
not only do we vote, I’ll wager that more candidates for a variety of offices per capita seek our support than about any other area in town, but when push comes to shove the support will be for areas that have more resources, at least in city politics.
University St. Wal-mart adding liquor sales would have meant one thing and one thing only to that area. More convenience for the shoppers of Walmart. That area and the residential area to the east would not have suffered or declined in the slightest. How ridiculous. Now put up some subsidized housing in the area, then yes, I could see the concern.
I think getting rid of Walmart altogether would be a good thing for this community.
Mahnko beat me to it – anyone ever been to the EP Wal-Mart after 9 pm? Very scary!
Paul,
If you are referring to low income votes, statistics don’t bear that out. Yes potentially it is a huge pool of votes, yes it they get a lot of focus in campaigning. Most candidates hope to draw from that large pool. At the end of the day tho, the lower your income, the less likely you are to vote. When it comes to day to day decision making, it is who actually votes that matters.
Karrie, I too heard the story about no HILP money but the one I heard was that the state didn’t have any to give.
I’m not at all a pro-Walmart person but I have been to the University store – usually because I don’t want to drive out to stores – Target, Allen Road stuff, that are farther out. I do not find it in the least bit scary. Get a grip. I can see being against Walmart for driving other stores out of business – the same coudl be said for the liquod CUB store on Knoxville – but it isn’t scary. It seems like they’ve been renovating/sprucing up the inside – although that doesn’t mean that they won’t close up shop. They said at the council meeting that any police calls have been for shop lifting – not for “violence in the parking lot.” I used to think their parking lot was a little trashed and attributed that to it being a 24 hour store and never having an empty lot to clean. apparently they are no longer 24 hours, I think they’ve repaved it.
No, I am referring specifically to my area which is low to low-moderate income levels.
I agree that that poor don’t vote and quite frankly they need the best representation. It’s dissapointing.
I really find it astounding that this is the second established business on that corridor of University which has been denied a liquor license purely based on the voices of a few residents and probably at least one lawyer. The first liquor license denial resulted in an Arabic “mom and pop” stores closing. Good job city council. But, that’s typical business-friendly Peoria for ‘ya.
That area of University St., is not without precedent for a store selling liquor too. Until just a few years ago and about 75 yards north of Walmart were grocery stores Sullivan’s and Thompson’s Foodbasket. Both sold the evil liquid and without incident or degradation of the immediate area. It would have been nice and convenient that while picking up a few staples at that Walmart I would also be able to pick up a Pinot Noir or some Sam Adams without having to stop at Friar Tuck’s or Schnuck’s (which I’m guessing have been contributing to that area’s downfall since they opened).
Hypothetically, let’s say Walmart closes that particular store within a year for some reason. The store it abandons then sits idle for numerous years before a Cub, a Jewel or Dominic’s becomes interested in locating at the former Walmart site. They request a liquor license. Is the city going to deny a liquor license to the establishment solely because some St.Phils area residents bring up the supposed phantom of future crime or trash problems due to sales of the evil brew? You know there are stores in Evanston, Kennilworth and Edgebrook that sell alcohol without the homey’s coming in and trashing the area with their empty 40qt bottles of Olde English 800.
Denying Walmart the liquor license made no sense just like many other things this city’s gov’t does and has done (I still am perplexed how this city could give away the gambling boat to E.P). It’s all too funny and too stupid to be too sad. Carry A. Nation is alive and well and living near St.Phils in Peoria apparently.
Maybe if/when the Wal-Mart closes, we could get 8 or 10 Title Loan outfits to open in that space?
Do you Wal-mart haters really want to start putting corporations that you don’t agree with out of business? Why don’t we just nationalize them and let the government run them? Those pesky shoppers looking to save money keep that awful Wal-mart going.I am glad that the council listened to the neighbor’s and acted accordingly but why all the animosity toward a tax paying business?
Does anyone honestly think that Wal-Mart is going to close becuase they don’t have a liquor license?
Yes, the one on North University will close, most likely sooner than later. Don’t worry about the big empty building though, it will become a Cash Advance Regional Center.
Mazr, the economy is in a funk and increasing sales by 1% , as the Wal-Mart rep stated was their take for small stores with alcohol sales, can mean keeping a business afloat and all its employees employed. I have no idea what the revenues for that store are but let’s say that it is $10 million/year. Do the math and that amount could be enough to help pay employee benefits or to keep some other expense from turning into a loss. Not taking on losses at a store that is experiencing sagging sales within a recessionary economy helps to keep the store afloat in that area and to do business yet another year and/or until the economy and sales improve. It doesn’t make a difference whether Q4 or Q1 was good for a corporation or not. The balance sheet for the store may not be as good as corporate. If an area store is going downhill then it will be closed for not being able to increase sales and offset liabilities. It doesn’t matter if it’s JCPenney, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, etc.
So what happens if that store closes? All of its employees are out of a job and without income, 10,000 sq.ft., goes vacant and the city loses tax revenue. All this due to an idiotic, clueless district councilwoman, city council and mayor who lack any foresight or qualities for correct judgement but who blindly kowtow to a dozen or so self-serving Biltmore Heights residents who happened to call and email them with their biased, unsubstantiated concerns. The city didn’t even do any research to see if the residents had any valid arguments. Is Van Auken and the city council going to listen to these same self-serving, self-interested residents when she and the city are attempting to seek businesses out who can refill that 10,000 sq.ft. of unused taxable shopping space and who can employ Peoria citizens again? And will the benchmark be whether or not that business wishes to obtain a liquor license? Hate them or not that Wal-Mart store has been a responsible corporate citizen in this city. To not have issued the license was irresponsible especially when you consider that had problems occured due to the license being issued the city could have always revoked.
ScottE: Bingo! You nailed it.
ok