A thirst for change seeps into Chatham

PITTSBORO -- In Chatham County, it's possible to tour a winery, a goat farm or a biofuel plant, buy organic vegetables at farmers markets and fine art in dozens of galleries and studios, and nosh on sushi or vegan chocolate cake. But you can't get a margarita at San Felipe's or an Old Fashioned at the City Tap in Pittsboro, because Chatham County doesn't allow liquor by the drink.

Until now, Chatham has resisted the ways of its more urban Triangle neighbors, remaining one of only 18 counties in the state -- all rural -- where no mixed drinks are sold. Now, a few residents think the time has come for Chatham to drink to its future, welcoming mixed-drink sales and the more high-end restaurants and bars that might build here if they could offer them.

"It just seemed like an opportune time to bring it up," said Randy Voller, mayor of Pittsboro, the county seat.

With the support of his town board, Voller has asked the Chatham County Commission to consider holding a countywide referendum on liquor by the drink. It could be months to a year if a referendum is held at all. But the fact that it's being discussed indicates the change that has come to Pittsboro and Chatham County in recent years.

Voller, a relative newcomer with only 18 years in the county, floated the idea on an Internet chatlist, where it met with varied responses.

Hurrah for martinis

Some toasted the mayor online with blinking martinis, cheering the possibility that liquor by the drink could bring the kinds of restaurants and hotel bars they now drive to Raleigh or Chapel Hill to enjoy.

Others tossed their virtual drinks in Voller's lap, saying they moved to Chatham County to get away from those sorts of places.

By special acts of the legislature, a few Chatham businesses -- the Fearrington House Inn, the Old Chatham Golf Club, the Golf Club at Chapel Ridge and others -- already serve mixed drinks.

But nowhere along the county's bucolic byways or its busy bypasses can be found an Applebee's, a Red Lobster or a Marriott with a bar.

Changes and conflict

Every housing development proposed in Chatham generates heated argument.

Some people still grumble about the new McDonald's that opened this year on U.S. 15-501 north of Pittsboro.

"My perspective, coming from a more developed area and seeing what Chatham County has to offer, is that it hasn't yet been forever changed by strip malls and development and we should really try to preserve that," said Jonathan Davis, a 27-year-old blown-glass artist who moved from Durham three years ago.

"I drink liquor myself. But being able to get that in a restaurant -- and opening the door to chain stores in general -- what kind of price do you pay?" Davis asked.

At present, residents can buy liquor at any of four ABC stores, including the one in Pittsboro. That beleaguered enterprise did so poorly it failed to return any profits to the town for years.

In October, former store manager Teresa Hartman, 49, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor larceny for stealing from the store, a block south of the picturesque courthouse in the center of town.

Hartman was ordered to pay $3,600 in restitution and put on supervised probation. Prosecutors dropped charges of embezzlement and obtaining property by false pretense.

The store has since made a dramatic turnaround. Employees no longer smoke on the sales floor or sit and watch television as they used to.

The store has been remodeled, hours have been extended and, according to new manager Lillian Colomy, customers can choose from a greater variety of products. In the fiscal year ending in 2008, the store will pay the town $17,778.

Imagine what greater economic opportunity might await if the county were to approve mixed-drink sales, Mayor Voller said.

The last time liquor-by-the-drink was put to a vote in the county was in a Pittsboro-only referendum in 1997. It was defeated, 68-55.

The measure might stand a better chance in a countywide vote where it would be voted on by an increasingly diverse population.

Chatham has attracted thousands of new residents in the past decade, many of whom work in Research Triangle Park or at UNC or have retired from places outside the area or the state.

Steve Cote, who opened the City Tap with a partner this summer, said many of his customers are ready to vote now.

"I get asked about it several times a day," Cote said of the fact that he can't serve mixed drinks. "People think it's very strange."