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Boone ABC Store Awards Bid To Greene Construction Inc., Will Not Interrupt Daily Business

By Mark S. Kenna

Nov. 1, 2013. The Boone ABC Store 1,087 square foot expansion bid was awarded to Boone-based Greene Construction Inc. on Tuesday. Renovations will begin within the next couple weeks.

The $499,750 bid includes an additional general fee around $29,000 that will pay for updating the pavement and some wiring, Ronald Holste, ABC board chairman said.

Besides expanding the back storage space, the ABC store will recover the current space used for bathrooms and other uses, around 400 square feet, to accommodate for new North Carolina liquors and spirits, said architect Randy Jones.

The ABC store in Boone photo by Mark S. Kenna

Renovations include more parking spaces and additions to the front entrance.

Green Construction also won the bid in 2006 for the last set of renovations.  Green was the lowest bidder with cost and days to completion. The next lowest bidder was also close to the price, but was bidding a 250-day turn-around.

The project is expected to take five to six months to complete depending on the weather, Holste said.

The construction will not impede customer’s ability to purchase spirits and liquor, with most of the work being done on days we’re closed and after hours, Holste added.

Conversations for more storage space started in January 2013. One of the original options was to move the store to a different location and expand from there.

This year the ABC store in Boone has given a little less than $500,000 dollars to the community in the way of law enforcement, education, and prevention for underage drinking and abusive behaviors.

“Everything we give away goes right back to this community,” Holste said.

The ABC stored opened in Boone in 1986, converted from warehouse and office space.  The original building was 2,861 square feet. 

Right now the total space is 5,898 square feet. After this addition the sales space plus the warehouse will total 6,985 square feet, Jones said. 

This is expansion will help maximize space for the next 15-20 years.