Gleeson Family to Open Package Goods Store in Ocean View

OCEAN VIEW — After an eight-year wait, the patient, thirsty citizens of Dennis Township will soon have a place of their own to make purchases of beer, wine and other beverages. No longer will they have to travel to Rio Grande or Marmora to buy their wares.
A new family owned and operated liquor store is planned at 565 Sea Isle Blvd. on the southeast corner of the intersection of Route 9. Gleeson Liquors Inc. is set to begin work on the township’s first and only such establishment.
Megan Gleeson told the Herald that her family is very excited to get moving on this project. She said they hope to be in business some time in the spring.
“We hope to provide the community with competitive pricing that they haven’t had because of the lack of competition in the area,” she added.
Megan’s father Tom Gleeson said they plan to feature a large selection of premium wine and beer. He added that the store would offer free local delivery.
Gleeson’s will target the area seasonal campgrounds, noting they are an untapped local market.
The family also owns Gleeson Contractors Inc., a custom home, renovation and light commercial contracting company established in 1976 that serves the Sea Isle City, Avalon and Ocean City areas.
The property on which the liquor store is to be built is the former home of the company’s cabinet showroom and flooring warehouse.
Gleeson said the family is building the building themselves. The Gleesons will be using some green and sustainable building products and systems including insulated foam, radiant heat flooring and plans to eventually install solar panels on the roof.
On July 23, Gleeson Liquors received preliminary and final site plan approval and associated waivers and variances from the township planning board for the construction of a proposed retail sales liquor store. The business will include 4,000 square feet of retail space as well as another 4,700 square feet of storage and office space.
Gleeson said that during the approval process his traffic engineer was able to work out some concerns residents had about area traffic patterns. During summer months, Sea Isle Boulevard can sometimes be severely congested. Because of that, some thought left turns out of the lot would exacerbate the problem.
Therefore, the store will have only an entrance and a right exit towards Sea Isle City off the boulevard and an exit both north and south on Route 9.
“It’s been a long time in the making,” Megan Gleeson said. “We’re happy it’s coming to fruition.”
On Dec. 1, the family also received person-to-person and site-to-site liquor license transfer approvals from township committee. The Gleesons bought the license from its previous owner William Wenzel, of Cape May Point and owner of Cape May Wicker.
A dry township since its incorporation in 1826, Dennis Township voters, in 2001, approved a binding referendum approving the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages. Based on its population, the township could issue and auction off two retail consumption (bar/restaurant) licenses and one retail distribution (liquor store) license.
In November 2002, the township auctioned one of its restaurant licenses to Shore Gate Golf Club, owned by the Turner family, at the minimum bid price of $300,000. The township has yet to auction its other restaurant license.
In November 2006, the township auctioned off the liquor store license to Wenzel for $1.1 million. The minimum bid price set by the township committee was $700,000 and the only other bid of $756,000 was by Clermont Discount Liquors, Inc.
Having paid a substantial sum for the license, and likely feeling as though he didn’t receive local and state approvals for the license in a timely fashion, Wenzel sued the township in June 2007. That lawsuit asked that the resolution awarding the license be rescinded and the bid price be returned with interest.
Superior Court Judge Valerie Armstrong on Oct. 10, 2008 issued a final judgment dismissing Wenzel’s lawsuit and opening it up to appeal. It was likely still in the appeal process when an agreement between Wenzel and Gleeson was reached. Gleeson purchased the license from Wenzel for “about what we paid for it,” Wenzel said.
“The matter having been amicably adjusted and the parties having stipulated to the dismissal of this appeal, it is hereby ordered that the appeal is dismissed with prejudice and without costs,” stated a Dec. 14 appeals court decision.
Wenzel told the Herald he was glad to be finished with the lawsuit, noting that he would be pursuing different business ventures with the money.