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No Appeal Planned for Proposed Wegmans Liquor Store

Store officials have not determined what to do with the large second floor space at Wegmans Columbia.

  The lawyer for the owners of the proposed liquor store on the second floor of the Columbia Wegmans said Friday the owners were not planning to appeal the beverage board's decision not to grant the store a liquor license. "When the written decision comes out," said Thomas Meachum, referring to the official written opinion of the board members, "[Christopher O'Donnell] will not appeal." O'Donnell, the potential 90 percent owner of the liquor store and husband to Wegmans President Colleen Wegman, and his partner Mike Smith, the potential 10 percent owner, were denied a liquor license for the store in July. The decision followed a series of controversial hearings on the store that brought out liquor store owners from around the state who …

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Top Tweets on Wegmans Liquor Decision

See how the conversation unfolded on social media.

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barry blyveis

6:57 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012

To CoolCol: I buy from the store with the best prices, the best assistance and the best products. Your plea that I buy from someone just because he happens to live or work near me is primitive reasoning and anticapitalistic. Barry Blyveis   more ›

Proposed Liquor Store Has Wegmans Connections

Ninety percent of a proposed liquor store in Wegmans would be owned by the husband of Wegmans' president.

The 10,000 square foot liquor store proposed for the second floor of the Columbia Wegmans would be 90 percent owned by the husband of Colleen Wegman, the president of Wegmans, according to testimony by Ralph Michael Smith at Tuesday’s Liquor Board hearing. Smith, who has been the public face of the proposal, revealed at a packed hearing before the Howard County Liquor Board Tuesday night that he has a 10 percent stake in the business. IAD LLC, a Delaware company owned by Christopher O’Donnell, would own the other 90 percent. Smith testified a member of Wegman’s legal department steered him toward O’Donnell to provide capital to start the store. “I’m not conversant with those types of sources,” said Smith. “Chris was suggested to me as a …

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Proposed Liquor Store Sparks Controversy

Business leaders worry that the proposed liquor super store planned for the second floor of the new Columbia Wegmans will shutter local businesses.

  The proposed 10,000-square-foot liquor store that would be located on the second floor of the new Columbia Wegmans has drawn the ire of local retail liquor businesses that say the store may violate Maryland law. The proposal for a Class A license for the store goes before the Howard County Liquor Board at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.  Steve Wise, an attorney for the Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association, said it is the association's position that locating the new liquor store inside a grocery chain is against Maryland state law. He said he is unaware of any liquor store located inside a grocery chain in Maryland.  Eric Stein, owner of Decanter Fine Wines in Hickory Ridge Village Center, said the issue with the new store’s application is …

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You Said It: Comment Round-Up

A round-up of comments from stories on Columbia Patch.

We've assembled a smorgasbord of your comments from the past week: $250,000 Contract Approved for New Howard County Schools Superintendent – “Cool last name but she's making as much as MoCo Supe[rintendent] who runs a system three times the size of HoCo.” – Bill Bissenas From the Columbia Patch Facebook Page – “I guess she thinks she needs to drive a luxury vehicle around to remind people of her status as the Super. That monthly bump buys a nice Volvo sedan. And, she gets $25,000 to move ONE county away? Maybe two or three? That must be one big house with 450,000 pounds of personal belongings. Is this person married with 10 kids?” – Ted Cogdell Wine With Your Wegmans? Second-Floor Liquor Store May Be on Tap – “Beware, if you live in …

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Wine With Your Wegmans? Second-Floor Liquor Store May Be on Tap

The store will be run by a third party in a leased space on the second floor of the new Wegmans.

A proposal for a 9,950-square foot liquor store to be located on the second floor of the Columbia Wegmans and run by a third party will come before the Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board on May 1. The man who is planning on running the store, Ralph Michael Smith, announced his plans for the package store in a detailed post on the “I Want The Columbia, MD. Wegmans” Facebook page on April 22. In an interview with Patch, Smith said, "What we're trying to do is create an opportunity for consumers to broaden their horizons in the types of wines, craft beers and liquors they've become accustomed to drinking." Jo Natale, media relations director for Wegmans, confirmed the space on the second floor in the store has been leased by Smith…

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