The Bottle Shop closes in legal feud with rival liquor store operator
The Bottle Shop, a liquor store off Bradley Park Drive in Columbus, has closed its doors following legal rulings in a civil case brought by a competitor liquor store company.
“Due to an unfavorable decision by the court from a lawsuit filed by Uptown Wine & Spirits' owner, P & J Beverage through its owner, Pat Daniel, The Bottle Shop is temporarily closed,” the store at 101 Southern Way, in the Bradley Park area, said late Tuesday in a post on its Facebook page. “We are in the process of evaluating our options and appealing this decision. We will continue to fight to remain open.”
The liquor store has been in a legal fight with Daniel since early November, when attorney Steve Hodges, the husband of Daniel, filed for an injunction in Muscogee County Superior Court to keep the new liquor store from opening. It was moved to the docket of Bibb County Senior Judge Bryant Culpepper after local judges recused themselves due to conflicts of interest.
Hodges and Daniel contend The Bottle Shop was in violation of Georgia law because it is too close to the Growing Room child care center at 610 Bradley Park Drive, with it less than 600 feet from the center. Hodges and Daniel contend Growing Room is a “school,” with state law requiring liquor stores to be at least 600 feet from a school to operate. However, Columbus City Attorney said the child care facility did not meet the standard to be classified as a school.
The Bottle Shop opened just before the Thanksgiving holiday and has done business since, including through a March 23 ruling against it and a follow-up move by its attorneys to stay the ruling, which was unsuccessful Tuesday.
Travis Hargrove of The Finley Firm in Columbus said Wednesday he could not comment on the legal case. Daniel and Hodges could not be immediately reached at their store, Uptown Wine & Spirits, which they opened in early December. They also own Forrest Road Package Store in east Columbus.
The Bottle Shop, in its Facebook post, thanked the public for their support of the business and took some parting shots at the rival liquor store operator that initiated the legal case.
“During the time we are closed, we encourage you to visit Bradley Park Wine & Spirits and Boo's, two of our friendly competitors,” The Bottle Shop said in the post. “We discourage you from patronizing Mrs. Daniels' store, Uptown Wine and Spirits, as their efforts to eliminate competition have resulted in our temporary closing. Such actions are regretful, as the backbone of our country is free enterprise, a premise which Mrs. Daniels and Uptown Wine & Spirits seek to eliminate.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 1:45 PM with the headline "The Bottle Shop closes in legal feud with rival liquor store operator."