“There’s a lot of activity at the exit (Interstate 75 and Ohio 63) and being able to sell beer and wine would be one more reason to visit the flea market,” Dove said. “It’s for competitive reasons and would give customers more choice and customers have been asking for it.”
The liquor permits would allow carryout of beverages in their originally sealed containers, and Dove said those sales would only be for on-premise consumption.
The sales would also complement the musicians that perform at the flea market on Saturdays and Sundays, Dove said.
Monroe City Council voted Tuesday evening to request a hearing with the Ohio Division of Liquor Control on the permit application for the D-2 liquor license to sell wine and mixed beverages. Treasure Aisles Flea Market is located on North Garver Road, which is in the Warren County portion of the city.
Treasure Aisles Flea Market’s request will now go before a state hearing board in Lebanon for a review and decision.
After the meeting, Councilman Dan Clark said he wanted more information about the request.
Dove said he did not know how long it would take the state to issue the liquor sales licenses and that the company is also seeking a D-1 liquor license to sell beer.
“It would be great if they could be issued now, but right now we’re patiently waiting,” Dove said.
He said on a good weather day, between 10,000 and 12,000 people visit Treasure Aisles Flea Market. On a rainy day, Dove said that number could be cut in half.
The city sought and won this year state approval to create a Community Entertainment District for the Ohio 63 area. It allows for up to 15 new permits to be issued for sales of beer, wine and spirituous liquor. Treasure Aisles Flea Market, however, is not located in the Community Entertainment District.
The Ohio 63 highway exit is an already established entertainment destination, and an area where the city wants to attract more investment. Regional attractions located there include Traders World and Treasure Aisles Flea Market, as well as the outlet mall and racino.
Construction has started on a $3 million project to build a new Culver's restaurant in Monroe at the nearby intersection of Ohio 63 and Corridor Park Drive, also east of the highway, according to Lenny Robinson, president of Robinson Commercial Real Estate Group, the landowner.
Additionally, after sitting on property for several years in the city, a commercial real estate firm hopes to break ground shortly on a new 10,000-square-foot retail strip center known as Monroe City Center Shops, on the west side of the Ohio 63 and Interstate 75 interchange.
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