Downtown Asheville to see new ABC store retail space

Plans to open a new ABC store retail space just north of downtown Asheville are underway with the intent to renovate an existing ABC storage facility at the corner of Broadway and Cherry streets.

ASHEVILLE – Plans to open a new ABC store retail space just north of downtown are underway with the intent to renovate an existing ABC storage facility at the corner of Broadway and Cherry streets. 

This new retail location would eventually replace its store at 179 S. Charlotte St. More than double in size, Asheville ABC operations manager Jason Thacker said the Cherry Street space will be a welcome change. 

Asheville's Alcoholic Beverage Control store at 179 S. Charlotte St.

“We just outgrew that (Charlotte Street) space with how busy tourism is, and how well the mixed-beverage customers are doing,” Thacker said. Replacing one of Asheville ABC’s oldest stores, he said customers can anticipate a bigger and more modern space at the new location. 

While the Charlotte Street location is owned by the city, the Asheville ABC Board already owns the .80 acre parcel where the two-story brick ABC building sits at 1 Cherry St. N. 

Previously used to house Asheville ABC’s office and warehouse, Thacker said they moved locations to Old Brevard Road in July 2019. Much of the building has been vacant since. 

Rows of liquor for sale at the ABC Store on Tunnel Road in Asheville March 28, 2019.

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Though the Cherry Street location once also operated as a mixed-beverage outlet for bars and restaurants, it was shut down during COVID-19, and remained closed. 

According to plans submitted to the city April 29, planned renovations include interior demolitions and renovations, the demolition of a previous addition for the construction of an ADA-compliant foyer and conversion of portions of the warehouse to retail space. 

Plans note 16,232 square feet of renovations and a 376-square-foot addition. 

Plans to open a new ABC store retail space just north of downtown Asheville are underway with the intent to renovate an existing ABC storage facility at the corner of Broadway and Cherry streets.

Not only will the renovations mean a new stand-alone retail store, but a larger mixed-use beverage outlet that Thacker said will serve about 200 of their permittees, including restaurants and bars. 

The project has been in the works for a year, he said, but COVID-related delays backed up its start date. Though he doesn’t know when the project will break ground, once it does, he anticipates renovations will take six to nine months. 

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2022/05/03/new-abc-store-retail-space-coming-downtown-asheville/9616135002/