Ogden's 25th Street Anti-Beer War Puts Families Out Of Business.

[sean pyro]

Owner Nghia Nguyen rings up a customer purchasing beer at the 25th Street Market in Ogden Monday. Ogden wants to eliminate Class A beer licenses on Historic 25th street, and convenience store owners believe it would put them out of business.

Beer-sales issue coming to a head
Ogden considers ban today on 25th Street sales of carry-out beer


OGDEN -- Nghia and Anh Nguyen immigrated to America for freedom and opportunity, but could lose their family's livelihood if a proposed ban on beer licenses on 25th Street is approved by the City Council.

The council will host a public hearing at 5 p.m. today on the third floor of the Municipal Building, 2549 Washington Blvd., to consider banning Class A beer licenses. The move is aimed at cracking down on the sale of beer consumed off-premises.

"If we lose the license, we'll probably go out of business," said Truyen Nguyen, the 19-year-old son of Nghia and Anh, who own the 25th Street Market at 168 Historic 25th St.

His sister, 23-year-old Kim Nguyen, feels the ban would be unfair, especially considering that a Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is expected to sell carry-out beer, is slated to go in just two blocks away.

"The city wants to get rid of the transient problem, but moving them from 25th Street doesn't mean the problem will stop. A better solution would be to have more police patrol up and down 25th Street," Kim said.

The Nguyens immigrated to Utah from Vietnam in 1995, and the 25th Street Market has been the family's sole source of income since they purchased it two years ago.

"Our country is not free. We came here for freedom and so our children could go to school," Anh explained.

Truyen attends Weber State University and Kim is enrolled in a pharmacy program in Michigan. While their children speak fluent English, Anh speaks some and Nghia speaks very little.

"No one will hire my parents, because they don't speak very good English," Truyen said.

A few doors down, at 160 25th Street, locals can also purchase ice cold, carry-out beer at Lucky's Smokehouse, owned by Lakhwinder "Lucky" Singh.

Both store owners figure eliminating beer sales would shrink their profits by 25 percent to 35 percent. Cigarettes are their top sellers, beer is second, and the incidental groceries come in third.

When Singh caught wind of the city's proposal in early August, he began collecting signatures from customers who want to see him continue selling beer. By last Friday, he had collected close to 300 names, many with addresses.

"We need to seek better solutions for the transient problem," Singh said. "If we lose our license and our business, the city should compensate us and help us relocate."

Singh plans to close his store for an hour today so he and his employees can attend the public hearing.

"Better to close for an hour than forever," Singh said. "Our business is just one of many to the city, but to us it's our bread and butter."

Other shop owners on Historic 25th Street have mixed feelings about the proposed ban.

"I'm against the city legislating someone out of business, but in order to make this street work, it (carry-out beer) has got to go," said Craig Visser, co-owner of the 25th Street Emporium and the Athenian Restaurant. "The biggest problem down here is the vagrants."

Barbara Brunell, who has worked on 25th Street for 15 years and currently works with Visser, is in full support of the ban.

"I think it's fantastic. We get homeless people who drink until they pass out on the street," Brunell said. "Panhandling is a problem also and people find it irritating."

John Daskalos, who co-owns the Athenian and Emporium with Visser, said he can see both sides of the issue.

"As a general rule, I think it would be better without that convenience (buying beer to go), because of who it brings. People are afraid to walk past the transients and it affects business," Daskalos said. "The street has a reputation and you need to do whatever you can to overcome that."

Andrea Lockwood, Ogden's chief deputy attorney, said the city has the authority to set standards for the sale of beer within the city.

"The standards must be reasonable, not arbitrary or capricious," Lockwood said.

Currently on Historic 25th Street there are 10 restaurants with Class B beer licenses and three taverns with Class C beer licenses.

Lockwood noted that these businesses can also sell beer in sealed containers for off-premises consumption, as can Roosters, which is licensed as a brewery.

Carry-out beer sold at the two markets is less expensive than beer sold at the other establishments.

[kenny]

Utah just loves to fuck with people. I can only hope more start fucking back.

[Napalm]

There's too much at stake in order for this to go through. This would kill Rooster's, one of the most popular microbreweries in the state. Someone should kill the entire Ogden City council so they have to start from scratch. There's too many old people that don't hold enough of the cities values anymore. Ogden is 50% hispanic (stupid mexicans), and Ogden is a pretty liberal town compared to any of its surrounding cities. (Conservative Nazi North Ogden, for example) The voter need to pull their heads out and elect new people to the council. Although killing them all might be a bit funner.

[dilvie]

That blows. Moving sales off the street is not going to stop drunk homeless people from hanging out there. If it's a popular place for panhandling, they'll get their beer elsewhere, and panhandle anyway, like nothing happenned.

[wookiee]

If nothing else, it's a vested economic interest. People are going to get their beer, with the exception of the poor, it just means that they'll be leaving the area/community for it. I mean, I'm from Evanston, so I'm all about Utahans supporting my economy (what little we have), but it's dumb if they think that simply closing a particular street to alcohol sales (which the state thusly the city makes money off of), is going to be their solution. I hate mountain-west politics-either their head is up their ass, or their dick is in a sheep (err, maybe that's just us wyomingites).

[spacegecko]

Geesh. They probably came to this decision after "praying about it." I did an assignment for an American Government class by writing what they do in city council meetings (or whatever they are called - but they're public). They had a freaking opening prayer!! Hmmm Can we say violation of the separation of church and state? This was only a couple of years ago. And yes, North Ogden is full of nazis. I live on snob hill, and though most of my neighbors are nice to me, I've come across many other people that suck.

spacegecko