Many Residents Hope Beer, Wine Sales Will Draw People Into Grover

Martha Loughridge said her lunch was a little tastier on Wednesday.

“(Because) maybe next week we'll have some wine,” she said.

Tuesday night, about 54 percent of voters in Grover approved the sale of beer and wine.

“It will sure help he town of Grover. I'd like to see it grow,” she said.

Many of the shops on Main Street are shut down and boarded up. The mills in the city used to bring in more than 300 people, but they have closed.

The owner of Carolina Crossings Restaurant said her lunch business fell 30 percent.

“It has been slow since the plants closed,” said Linda Brackett.

Every day, hundreds of people stop at an exit off of Interstate 85 for cheap gas, but they rarely cross the tracks that separate South Carolina from Grover because the South Carolina stores sell alcohol.

“We don't have a whole lot going over here. The town doesn't have a whole lot,” Brackett said.

She said she hopes the vote will give people a reason to cross the tracks.

Grover’s mayor said 10 percent of the town's utility tax revenue was cut when the mills closed. He said recently the council considered raising taxes, but he believes the alcohol vote made that unnecessary.

Pastor Sherry Moss said it may bring more people, but it will also bring trouble right to her front door.

She said operators promised to reopen the store next door if they can sell beer or wine.

“We don't want to have church and then have to come out and see people coming out of the store with beer and wine,” she said.

Moss said it will mean more drinking and driving and more public drunkenness.

“We have enough crime and violence in Grover,” she said.

The mayor said in order for stores to be able to petition to sell beer and wine, the board of elections has to certify the vote to make it official. With less than 200 people voting, there are some people in town who hope that will happen quickly.

Downtown business owners said they hope the yes vote will help them bring a grocery store to Grover. They said most people drive to Shelby or Kings Mountain for groceries and many store chains won’t move to Grover unless they are sure the town can draw in shoppers from outside the city.