In 1937, an Alcoholic Beverage Control bill was enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly that created the foundation for the system of control we operate under today. This Act allowed voters in each county to determine whether or not spirituous liquor should be sold at retail. If approved by the local voters, the Act provided for the establishment of a local ABC board that has the authority and duty to operate one retail ABC store. If disapproved at the county level, local towns or municipalities could then vote on the issue. The Act also provided for the establishment of a State ABC Commission to have oversight authority with respect to each local ABC Board.
Today, there are 168 local ABC systems in the State that operate 430 retail stores. Fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, the retail and mixed beverage sales totaled approximately $1.068 Billion. County and municipal ABC Boards in North Carolina are local independent political subdivisions of the State. They operate as separate entities establishing their own policies and procedures.
Each local ABC Board consists of a Chairman and two to six (depending on the Board size) board members appointed by their city, town or county governing authority. They retain authority to set policy and adopt rules in conformity with ABC Laws and Commission Rules.
ABC Board and its authority generally transact business as an independent corporate body. The Brunswick County ABC Board’s responsibility to finance operations and run the ABC system is independent from its appointing authority: Brunswick County. All financing must be obtained from private lenders, secured solely by the assets and credit worthiness of the Brunswick County ABC Board. Similarly, state law specifically dictates the management of all funds received by the Brunswick County ABC Board, including payments of all operating expenses, distribution of taxes, and final distributions of profits to Brunswick County.
This Brunswick County ABC Board was created in 1977 after Brunswick County voters approved the establishment of ABC stores; thereafter, the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners appointed an independent ABC Board to open and operate ABC stores. The newly established Brunswick County ABC Board obtained financing from commercial lenders, purchased an old grocery store located at 2567 Holden Beach Road SW, and after modifications opened the board’s first ABC store. The board also determined a need for a store to serve the Delco region of the county and opened a second store at 521 Andrew Jackson Hwy, Delco, NC.
After a review of historical sales growth, the board recognized a need to modernize and expand operations to better serve customers and meet future demands. In 2006, John Ramsey, Chairman of the Brunswick County ABC Board requested and was granted permission from Honorable David Sanderford to move forward with building and replacing Brunswick County ABC Board located on Holden Beach Road. The board approved and purchased 4.4 acres of land located at 2839 Holden Beach Road SW and began plans to build a new modern store upon 2.2 acres of the land and to part-out the remaining 2.2 acres to support the operation of the Brunswick County ABC System.