Friendship Agrees To Beer and Wine Sales

FRIENDSHIP (NEWS CENTER) -- The owners of Friendship's only market are smiling. Voters narrowly approved a measure that will allow them to sell beer and wine 6 days a week.

Friendship had voted to remain a dry town 3 times in the past 22 years. But Ernie Colletti, who owns Wallace's Market, worked hard to change minds. He worried he could go out of business if he wasn't allowed to sell beer and wine because so many people were going down the street to Flipper's in Waldoboro to buy alcohol, and then stocking up on other items as well.

Coletti said the community support makes him feel good. "We worked hard at it," he said. "I think we convinced some people in town that would normally vote against it. I think we put out a good campaign that we're going to do a good job with it and I think people respected that."

The market isn't selling alcohol just yet. Coletti still needs to get a beer and wine license from the state.