Building permit issued, work begins on Starbucks, liquor store
Construction work has begun on the new building that will house a Starbucks coffee shop and a wine/liquor package store on North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard in Clinton.
The city of Clinton on June 22 issued a building permit for a new $579,221 building of 5,474 square feet at 2170-2174 N. Charles Seivers Blvd. to Sinking Springs LLC in the Glen Alpine II development that the two businesses will share.
Developer Andy Hillmer is listed as the principal on the permit, and Creative Structures Inc. of Knoxville is the contractor.
This development is just west of the building already completed that houses the new Buddy’s Bar-b-q, which opened last December, and a new Tennova Healthcare clinic.
Immediately to the east of Buddy’s will be a new building that will house a standalone Sonic drive-in restaurant. That lot has been leased to the Sonic developer, but no building permit has been issued yet and no work has begun. Hillmer could not give a timetable as to when that work might start or when the Sonic might open.
The Sonic will include a drive-through window as well as Sonic’s signature carhop curb service, according to plans.
Starbucks, meanwhile, will be the east-side tenant of the new building on the other side of the Buddy’s building, and it will also include a drive-through lane.
The other side of that building — about 3,100 square feet of space — will be the home SP’s Wine & Liquor, said Hillmer, of Southern Commercial Real Estate in Knoxville.
Savan Patel, who operates liquor stores in the Knoxville area, said earlier that his father, Suresh Patel, and brother, Alish Patel, will be the owners and managers of SP’s Wine & Liquor, across Seivers Boulevard from Arby’s.
Hillmer said the new liquor store’s owners signed a lease for the space in March.
The Starbucks was originally scheduled to open sometime in August.
Savan Patel said in March that his father and brother hope that their portion of the building will be ready for them to have a grand opening of the liquor store on Sept. 1.
“Our plan is to feature great wine and liquor selections,” he said. “We will also have a selection of exclusive barrel whiskeys that we will be getting from bourbon distillers in Kentucky, as well as from Jack Daniel’s.
“We also plan to have a selection of good Tennessee moonshine brands, along with our fine wines at a great retail price. We’re looking forward to serving the community with a fine selection of wine and spirits.”
The store will have a total of five employees, and will be open seven days a week, Patel said. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, he said.
Clinton voters approved a referendum question on Nov. 3 to allow package liquor sales inside the city limits, and several potential store operators have already expressed interest in opening stores.