STAR, ID — With the news of the Star Merc possibly losing its liquor distribution agreement, one lawmaker has proposed new legislation dedicated to helping locally-owned businesses keep these agreements going.
- The Merc has been selling liquor under a special distributor agreement as there was no dedicated liquor store in the area.
- The state did not pick up the extension this year.
- The Merc has been on a month-to-month basis as doors opened for the new liquor store.
- The current agreement is set to expire at the end of February.
- Speaker Mike Moyle has pushed forward new legislation to help allow businesses to keep these types of agreements up.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Along with groceries and hardware, the Star Merc has been the town's go-to place for liquor for decades.
But, the days of grabbing a bottle of booze in this aisle are limited thanks to a new state liquor store popping up down the road and the looming expiration of the Merc's special distributor agreement with the state.
The situation has been the talk of the town, reaching the Speaker of the House, and Star resident, Mike Moyle, who's lived in Star his entire life. He reached out to the Kirtley family who owns the Star Merc.
Paraphrasing, Kirtley explained what Speaker Moyle's response was saying, "Well the state shouldn't take something like that away from you. That's not how it's supposed to work."
Denise Kirtley says if their current agreement expires at the end of February it may signal the end of the Star Merc after more than a century of serving the community.
But Speaker Moyle is taking action with proposed legislation that would grandfather in mom-and-pop shops like the Merc allowing them to continue selling liquor.
"Well, what it means to us mostly is that we will stay in business," exclaimed Kirtley.
Speaker Moyle said, "I think it is advantageous to those areas too, to keep those liquor stores where they are at."
Speaker Moyle tells me the proposal so far has been well received and would apply in similar situations around the state where current special distribution agreements are already in place.
"Well, it hasn't been out there very long. Most people when I tell them, are ok with it. They don't like that the state is basically coming in and competing with private industry," explained the lawmaker.
At the Star Merc, they hope state-level changes could once again change their plans to sell liquor.
"We want to keep Star, Star for as long as we can. Because we do want to be here. We do." said a teary-eyed Kirtley.
As the bill makes its way through the Statehouse the clock is ticking for the Merc with their current special distributor's agreement set to expire in less than two weeks. I'm your Star neighborhood reporter Alexander Huddleston, Idaho News 6.
