Aug. 12--Retail liquor veterans Wayne and Sun Harris have fired a large shot in the battle for who owns Colorado's biggest liquor store.
A company headed by Sun Harris plans to open Jumbo Liquor Outlet in mid-October in a former sporting goods store at 4285 N. Academy Blvd. At 42,000 square feet, Jumbo Liquor will be true to its name, topping both Cheers Liquor Mart in Colorado Springs and Applejack Liquor in Wheat Ridge to become the state's biggest liquor store.
It will be about the size of a small supermarket.
'Most new liquor stores grow quickly but then hit a plateau because of either selection or parking. Neither will be a problem for this store,' Wayne Harris said. 'We will carry every single item available in Colorado and our parking lot includes 380 spaces.'
Harris said Jumbo hopes to draw customers from throughout Colorado Springs as well as Castle Rock and Pueblo by offering the state's largest selection of liquor. He said the city's rapid growth in recent years has created a market for another liquor store.
Cheers, 1105 N. Circle Drive, is the city's largest liquor store at 36,000 square feet, followed by Colorado's Liquor Outlet at 21,000 square feet. Spirit World, which was among the city's largest liquor stores at 30,000 square feet, recently shut down.
Cheers owner Jack Backman declined to comment on plans for Jumbo Liquor, and Applejack owner Jim Shpallcq was not available for comment Friday.
Wayne Harris operates Colorado's Liquor Outlet near Chapel Hills Mall, and a company controlled by his son, Kevin Harris, owns Mission Pointe Liquors in southeast Colorado Springs. Harris and his wife have owned five other local liquor stores since 1978.
Before it can open, Jumbo must receive a license from the Colorado Springs Liquor Board, which will consider the store's application Friday. The Harris family has agreed to buy the former sporting goods store in a deal contingent on approval of the license.
The projected purchase price was not available, but the county assessor values the land with improvements at $3.36 million.
To see more of The Gazette, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.gazette.com
(c) 2000, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
