Alcohol Flowing for First Time at Some Dallas Grocery Stores

Six grocery stores received permits to sell beer and wine this week, two months after voters approved citywide sales.

Katherine Stewart said she was ecstatic to see alcohol sales at the Tom Thumb at the intersection of Preston Road and Royal Lane.

"I thought I would never live to see the day that I would be able to buy beer and wine in my neighborhood," she said.

"Hopefully, it won't make me drink more," she said with a laugh.

Until now, Preston Hollow residents had to make separate trips to the grocery store and the beer store.

California transplant Celeste Segerstron learned that lesson the hard way.

"My first week in Dallas, my attorney invited me to dinner, and it took me a half an hour to find a store that had liquor in it," she said.

But the added convenience also comes with controversy.

Opponents of citywide alcohol sales have filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the November vote. "We feel confident that one, the suit has no merit and, two, the voters have spoken," said Kroger spokesman Gary Huddleston.

A court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 19.

In the meantime, a spokesperson for Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said the agency sees no reason to stop issuing permits.

About 140 Dallas retailers have submitted applications to sell beer and wine.

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