CVS, Walgreens want to sell liquor in Bartlett

Liquor was the word on everyone's lips at Bartlett's village board meeting Tuesday after representatives from both Walgreens and CVS separately requested special use permits for package liquor sales.

Residents and business owners came out to express their disdain for CVS' request to sell beer, wine and liquor at 101 Bartlett Plaza, near the intersection of Devon Avenue and Main Street.

Walgreens' request to sell beer and wine at 891 S. Route 59 was met with less resistance.

A petition with nearly 200 signatures of residents who say they "oppose the addition of liquor to the downtown Bartlett CVS store," was submitted, along with several letters from community residents warning of possible troubles such as underage drinking, drinking and driving, and the financial losses of local businesses, to name a few.

"The market and town of Bartlett is already saturated with liquor licenses and ... giving CVS a liquor license adds no convenience to the customers of Bartlett or value to the community of Bartlett," said David Bhesania, owner of Town Liquor and Food, which is located about 200 meters away from the CVS store.

"We got three good liquor stores in 0.2 miles. Do we really need another one?" John Rainford, franchisee of the 7-Eleven located at Devon Avenue and Prospect Street, said at Tuesday's meeting.

CVS representatives applied for a special use permit to sell packaged liquor in 2006 but withdrew the application before it was sent to the village board for a final vote, which was a matter of contention for business owners who were angered that the representatives now want to sell liquor.

"It's free trade. This is the United States of America and whether it's a big conglomerate or a sole practitioner, everyone should have a shot," Highland Park CVS Attorney LLC Larry Cohen countered.

Cohen said CVS representatives did their own survey of CVS customers for about five hours in-store Tuesday. Cohen said in about 200 transactions during the five-hour span, about 80 customers said they would be in favor of the store selling liquor.

The matter will be up for vote at the next village board meeting on Sept. 21.