Wednesday, September 11, 2024
By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – The village board has granted a Class A liquor license for a business locating inside the food court of the Bay Park Square Mall.
Board members split 4-2-1 when the voted Tuesday, Sept. 25, on the liquor license application from The Shinery.
Allison Williams, Gary Paul, Mark Williams and Michael Malcheski favored granting the license, while Ken Bukowski and Mary Kardoskee were opposed and Chris Zirbel abstained from voting.
Bukowski and Kardoskee noted they voted against granting a liquor license because of the business being located in the mall.
“Once the license is issued, you’re free to sell any kind of liquor there,” Bukowski said. “We can’t limit it, and I just don’t see that as being appropriate in a mall.”
Elizabeth and Troy Reissmann appeared before the board representing The Shinery.
The company currently has stores located in the Fox River Mall in Appleton and Cedarburg, and had previously operated a store in De Pere the company shut down.
The Shinery is known for offering a variety “moonshine” flavors in Mason jars among its alcoholic beverages for sale. The company also sells food items such as pickles and salsa.
“Ninety-eight percent of our business is moonshine,” Elizabeth Reissmann told the board. “We do have a few wines that we offer. We do not offer beer.”
Troy Reissmann said the business model of the company, which was voted two years in a row as the No. 1 place to Christmas shop in Wisconsin and also voted the No. 1 new gift store in the state, doesn’t include selling whiskey or brandy.
“It’s a pretty good wholesome place,” he said. “The mall actually asked us to be there, as did the Fox River Mall.”
The license application calls for having an 1,800-square-foot, two-room retail outlet inside the Bay Park Square Mall food court.
Though tasting samples are available inside the store, Troy Reissmann said the alcoholic beverages the store sells are not for consumption inside the mall with customers being informed they are not to drink them there, as has been the case at the Fox River Mall.
Paul called The Shinery a “novelty store” that will be new to the area.
“If it ain’t going to work, we’ve got a right to shut it down,” he said.
Though some of the moonshine sold is as high as 125 Proof, Troy Reissmann said most in the store are around 40 Proof.
Allison Williams, who made the motion to approve the license, said the store is “something that would really be beneficial to our mall.”
“This is something I think would add value to our mall,” she said.
Board members were also split on granting a Class A beer/Class A liquor license for a new Aldi store at 2492 S. Oneida St. with Bukowski and Malcheski voting against it, while a Class B beer/Class C wine license for Edge VR Arcade at 2642 Packerland Dr. was approved without opposition.
Chicken permit amendment
The board also favored making the process easier to renew a permit to keep chickens in the village.
They backed an ordinance amendment that eliminates the requirement to obtain the signatures from neighbors within 100 feet on a permit renewal, unless the permit has been non-renewed, suspended or revoked.
Those signatures would still be required on new permit applications to ensure the neighbors approve.
