Wheeling liquor store to open by Thanksgiving

A new packaged wine, spirits and liquor store will be open in Wheeling by Thanksgiving. The Wheeling village board approved the store Tuesday night.

The Wheeling Liquor Commission agreed to assign a class D liquor license for Liquor Barn, 287 E. Dundee Road, before the village board meeting.

During the board meeting, the trustees also voted to approve the special use of the land, allowing Liquor Barn to finish building a 10,500-square-foot store and prepare to open in the Fresh Farms Shopping Center at Dundee Road and Milwaukee in mid-November.

Liquor Barn is a father-son operation run by Michael and Marcel Olshasky; the two have owned another location in Niles since 1982.

The store, which specializes in Eastern European products that are difficult to find in America, was looking to open a new location closer to its client base in the Northern suburbs, said Marcel Olshasky.

“It seems like a great opportunity for us,” he said.

Board members questioned the size of the store and the amount of parking, but only Trustee Bill Hein voted against the ordinance for Liquor Barn.

“We have an abundance of liquor stores within a five-mile radius,” Hein said, adding that he thought the store was much larger than necessary.

The layout of the store is being kept under wraps, but Olshasky said it will set it apart from the other liquor stores in town.

“It's a completely new idea that people haven't seen in Chicago, the way the store is set up,” he said.

“We're trying to keep it a surprise, though.”

Hein said he was also concerned about the truck traffic the store will bring to the area because of deliveries.

“I would have liked to have seen Fresh Farms put in a liquor department instead,” Hein said.

While the store is already built and most of the staff is in place, Olshasky said they are still waiting on a few building permits to finish interior construction.

He added that a grand opening will be planned closer to December.

The store will be open 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays, similar hours to the grocery store in the shopping center.