Despite a few unexpected setbacks that coincided with a January winter storm, the new ABC store in Buxton is on track to open on May 1, 2025.
“We’re still shooting for Thursday, May 1, [and it’s] looking very much like it will happen,” said Fields Scarborough, chairman of the Dare County ABC Board. “We’re hoping to meet with the county fire marshal by the end of the week to see if we’ve met his requirements. After that, we think the building can be turned over to us by the contractor.”
In the past month, the contractor has focused on the final touches of the new store. The checkout area is near completion, and an additional terminal has been built for the mixed beverage licensee pickup area. All major signage is complete, and most of the security system has also been installed.
“There are just a few little things left to do that can be completed once we are open for business,” said Scarborough.
Scarborough was one of the original planners of the island’s first ABC store at the Osprey Shopping Center in Buxton, which opened to the public in 1987. He said that the new store will help reduce supply shortages for restaurants as well as everyday customers, which has been an issue since the Coronavirus pandemic.
“Hatteras Island outdrew the old store years ago,” said Scarborough in an earlier interview. “We’ve always had difficulty with the small space. It’s our number three store on the Outer Banks – Nags Head is our number one – and when you add mixed beverage sales for local restaurants, it’s just too small for the demand.”
Sales from the ABC store primarily go back into the community. 15% of net retail profits go to incorporated towns within the county, while the remainder goes to the Dare County General Fund, with 42.5% earmarked for the Dare County Department of Social Services.
The expanded space of the new ABC store in Buxton, which includes ample warehouse space where stockpiles of in-demand brands can be stored, suggests that those profits are going to grow.
The new ABC store is modeled after the current store in Kitty Hawk, and is around 6,000 square feet in area. However, due to Hatteras Island’s routine brushes with high winds and coastal flooding, there are a few differences from the Kitty Hawk design.
The new Buxton store does not have a lightkeeper’s tower, has a regular roof as opposed to a flat roof, and has fewer windows, due to wind-driven rain concerns that could result in extra repairs down the road. The store is also elevated, with storm drains to dispel any pools of water before they can leak into the building.
The Buxton ABC store serves all seven villages from Rodanthe to Hatteras, and currently, there are no plans to add a second store on Hatteras Island, but this is a potential option down the road, well after the new store is officially open.
“We’ve requested to have the keys in hand by the 21st of April, then wait for May 1,” said Scarborough. “All else will fall into place before then.”
