Fear Of Drunks, Panhandlers At New Liquor Store Forces Play Center To Close

[The Straight Story]

Fear Of Drunks, Panhandlers At New Liquor Store Forces Play Center To Close

POSTED: 12:24 pm EST February 15, 2007

The owners of a popular child play center in Merritt Island, Fla., say the fear of drunks, panhandlers and other dangerous people traveling to a new liquor store that opened next door has prompted them to close, according to a Local 6 News.

The Active Imagination children's costume and play center in Merritt Island has been opened for two years, offering kids a safe place to play.

However, recently, Metro's Liquor opened next door to the play center.

"The owners of Active Imagination say they have made the painful decision to close the wholesome place simply because they object to a liquor store moving in right next door," Local 6's Mike DeForest said.

"I know these kids," owner Stephanie Byrd said. "They have their birthday parties here. I know their moms. I just couldn't live with myself if something happened to them."

Byrd thinks the new liquor store will attract people who would endanger the children.

http://www.local6.com/news/11023308/detail.html

[villager]

1. you mean, nobody thought to challenge the permitting of a liquor store next door?

And the play place hasn't scouted an alternate place to open?

Perhaps they wanted to close...?

[Mugu]

18. I’ll bet that a liquor store will generate considerably more tax revenue

than a pay-to-play business.

Regards, Mugu

[ceile]

2. What the hell kind of zoning does this town have?

I thought most states had laws that prohibit "adult" establishments (liq stores, clubs, etc) from being with 200 yards of where children go to school, play, etc.

[Hardrada]

3. This is FLORIDA again. What can you expect?

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

4. Pretty Stupid

The kids would be inside the play center.

Liquor stores are not exactly dangerous, are they? Sounds like a lame excuse to me.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Sounds the same to me.

Makes me wonder why they really closed.

[progressivebydesign]

16. Some liquor stores are dangerous.. depends on the store.

There are plenty of stores that I've driven by that I would never, ever, stop in. Those are the ones, c'mon don't pretend you haven't seen them, the ones with people standing outside loitering.. perhaps drinking from a paper bag.. As a woman and a parent, I have to agree with the play center in wanting to close and/or move. I wouldn't want to be picking up my kid and dealing with that every day. Some liquor stores sell fortified alcohol, which tends to destroy the local neighborhood. It all depends upon the store.

The zoning people must be completely incompentent, or the laws there are totally irrational. Most normal towns would never permit that in a million years. And it comes down to how the parents feel about it, and if they're uncomfortable, then the play center would not be able to operate.

[The Straight Story]

19. Sounds like the local convenience store around here :) (nt)

[REP]

5. "Fears" Not Reality, Eh?

"Fears" of 'panhandlers' (also known as the homeless) and potential drunks? Sounds like a load of horsecrap to me; either the business was failing or there was another reason they closed, and blaming scary (and imaginary) drunks and homeless people strikes just the right note with a certain type of person. Were they going to leave the doors open and let people wander in? Perhaps they shouldn't've been tending children in the first place!

[yardwork]

7. Liquor stores usually don't sell to drunks and why should they have panhandlers?

Why would panhandlers be more likely to hang outside liquor stores as opposed to other places?

I've never actually tested this, but I have a feeling that liquor stores probably wouldn't sell to somebody who rolled in drunk.

[MADem]

8. I live four blocks from a liquor store.

It has an excellent wine selection. It's been there for over half a century.

No panhandlers hang out in front, no disreputable types skulk about. People from the neighborhood go in, buy their booze, and leave.

That might have something to do with the quality of policing where I live, I dunno.

To suggest that a liquor store, in and of itself, is going to cause problems is odd. Not to be mean about the owners of the play center, I suspect they're possibly using their neighboring business as an excuse to get out of an unprofitable enterprise--I could be wrong, but this bit of the article just jumped out at me:

The Byrds said they will permanently close this weekend.

They said it is not financially feasible to move to another location.

If they were making a decent profit, surely they'd keep the thing going...I'm guessing it's more trouble than it's worth, it's not pulling in enough dough, so they're outta there, blaming the 'evil' booze store so they don't have to tell their customers they're sick of the gig and just want to quit.

[REP]

11. Blaming "Evil Booze" and Lurking Homeless

The 'panhandler' thing really caught my attention - pandering to the fear many have of the homeless.

[Mojorabbit]

17. I live in Florida

three blocks from a liquour store and there all sorts of people loitering outside. Also some gang trouble there.Police are always being called there because of fights, stabbings, etc. I would not want to be taking a child back and forth beside it.

[MADem]

22. Is Merritt Island a "rough" neighborhood, or is it pricey?

Generally, the tonier the neighborhood, the better the police service...

[redqueen]

9. What could happen to them?

Their parents might get asked for change?

:shrug:

[Katherine Brengle]

10. Wow that's f*ed up - a business like that never should have been allowed to open

there.

Ugh.

[REP]

13. Why Not?

I live across the street from a liquor store; no 'panhandlers' or drunks loitering in my neighborhood or annoying children - especially children safely inside establishments with closed doors!

[niyad]

12. something about this story stinks!! I don't know what the zoning laws are, but when I lived in FL,

one could not put such an establishment next to a school, church, etc.

and, I currently live about 4 doors from a liquor store--there has NEVER been a problem with any of them in my area.

something very fishy going on there--the last sentence in the article was telling "It's not financially feasible for us to move". In other words, they were going broke anyway, and the liquor store is a convenient, heart-wrenching excuse for them to quit.

[REP]

15. This Is Neither a School nor a Church; It's a For-Pay Play Area

I agree; they're losing money and appealing to people's fears of demon rum and homeless people asking for change to excuse their going out of business.

[Warren DeMontague]

14. Honestly, I think it would depend on the liquor store and the area.

Totally depends on the neighborhood. Shit, supermarkets sell liquor, too. I live in Wine Country; there are liquor stores that depend almost entirely on the 30 dollar bottle of wine business. Put a liquor store down in a relatively calm, upscale area, and it's not going to magically manufacture drunks and homeless people. I think this may be premature unless there has been some actual activity to back up the allegations.

[The Straight Story]

20. If I lived there I would help em out :)

I would go there and stagger around half naked singing, just to make em feel better.

[kestrel91316]

21. What do you expect for FL? It's run by people who put $$$ first.

[Edweird]

23. They could have just hired security.

[Richard Steele]

24. I don't buy it. I'll bet they've been losing money all along.

No one just shuts down a SUCCESSFUL business
because they're afraid of a problem that hasn't
happened yet.

[Atman]

25. It's a bullshit story. No profitable business shuts down for such a reason.

The play center wasn't making money, period. No other explanation. The liquor store was just the face-saving measure so the owners could face the relative who loaned them the money to start their losing venture.

Pure conjecture, but dig a little deeper. Profitable ventures don't just close their doors. They sue.

.