[ad_1]
STAR, ID — If the local mall was a microcosm of the entire city, The Star Merc lives up to its name. When you open the front door, you’ll find bags of dog food still on sale. A place that sells hardware and tools in an aisle away from the dairy, where the clerk knows your name.
Melk is woven into the fabric of a small town, originally built by just a few hundred people. This store has been in business for over 100 years.
“Oh, I think so. [the population] “We’re kind of a small-town charm,” owner Dennis Kirtley said.
Once a very small town in Idaho, there was no value in owning and operating your own liquor store. Thirty years ago, the government entered into a contract with The Merck to shoulder that burden. But companies saw it as an opportunity.
“They asked us to rent the space,” Kirtley said. “For billions of years, we were the only game in town.”
But that has changed. Idaho opened a liquor store just a mile down the road. The agreement between the state and The Merck expires at the end of February. For decades, alcoholic beverages have been part of The Merck’s successful business model. Alcohol attracts people.
“If we don’t have alcohol, we’re going to stay open. We will. But to be honest, I don’t know if we can,” Kirtley said. “On March 1st, they could literally come and take everything away. We don’t know what they’re going to do.”
House Speaker Mike Moyle (R-Idaho) is working under a ticking clock to prevent this problem. He introduced House Bill 570 (H570), which would protect private small town liquor distributors established before January 1, 2023.
“It just silences them,” Chairman Moyle said. “It’s not just Star. It’s going to be cities like Middleton and Emmett. There are a lot of other cities coming into the state as the population grows.”
The House State Affairs Committee rubber-stamped the bill and sent it directly to the House floor.
“Star means as much to him as it does to us,” Kirtley said. “The state should not force people out of business.”
This bill has an immediate provision. If the bill becomes law, it will come into effect immediately after approval.
Check out our YouTube playlist for the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and Gem State.
Other ways to get news from KTVB are:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for free on YouTube: KTVB YouTube Channel
live streaming for free Roku: Add channels from the ROKU store or by searching for “KTVB”.
live streaming for free Fire TV: Search for “KTVB” and click “Get” to download.
follow me twitter, Facebook & Instagram
[ad_2]
Source link
