The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is planning to open a new state-owned wine and liquor store in the State College area and close an existing one.
The board on Wednesday approved moving forward with plans to open a Fine Wine & Good Spirits in the former Rite Aid location at 1536 N. Atherton St., PLCB press secretary Shawn Kelly told StateCollege.com. It would replace the nearby store at 1682 N. Atherton St. in the Village Square plaza.
“The next step in the process is that a lease has to be signed. There are some approval processes that have to be done at the state level through another agency. And then what happens, once that happens, the project can move forward,” Kelly said.
Plans are to renovate the building that formerly housed Rite Aid, which closed in April, not to demolish it and build new. A timeframe for the opening of the new store has not yet been set.
“Obviously, we want to get it open as quickly as possible, but every store project is different,” Kelly said. “So there’s no real set timetable, but we want to make sure that the residents of State College, our loyal customers, have a beautiful new store that meets their needs well into the future.”
When a new Fine Wine & Good Spirits store opens, employees from the shop it is replacing typically relocate to the new one, Kelly said. He added that it was not yet known if the new store would necessitate the hiring of additional staff.
The decision to open a new Fine Wine & Good Spirits is based on trends and locations.
“The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is always looking at trends and demographics to determine where we put stores,” Kelly said. “We look for places where the community shops. We look for places with ample parking and easy customer access. So it’s a constant process that happens in every store across the state. We’re always keeping our options open. We’re always taking a look at what’s available, what would best serve our customers.”
Centre County is home to eight Fine Wine & Good Spirits store, including four in the immediate State College area. Kelly said the PLCB has “done a lot of work” to enhance the shopping experience in the area in recent years, including the move of the South Atherton Street store from the Hills Plaza to Southridge Plaza in 2016 and the Bellefonte area store’s relocation from downtown to the Weis Markets plaza on Buckaroo Lane.
“We always look for a new opportunity to give customers the best possible experience they can get,” Kelly said.
