CULLMAN — To say Catoma Mart owner Danny Freeman is a fan of alcohol sales in Cullman would be an understatement. Freeman was one of the first business owners in line to apply for a license, and his convenience store was the first in the city to sell beer in February 2011 — doing gangbusters for more than a week until other stores were stocked.

“It’s nearly, probably, three times more sales than I’ve had in the past,” he said. “I think it’s been a wonderful thing for everyone involved, and the city has prospered well with it.”

In addition to the beer sales — which have been good — Freeman said he has also noticed an up-tick in other items, as customers stay close to home when they want to pick up a case of beer, or a bottle of wine.

“Just think about it, if someone leaves Cullman at 5 p.m. to get something to drink, they’re going to get their gas and snacks while they’re up there, too. So, it has increased my sales all around,” he said. “Gas didn’t change a whole lot, but snacks and everything else increased. It’s not only increased from alcohol, but I’m making better income from candy bars, chips, fountain drinks and everything else. Now, customers don’t have to go to Decatur and buy a truckload of beer, they can just swing in and pick up what they need.”

It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than a year since alcohol sales began in Cullman, Freeman said.

Contrary to some of the claims coming from both camps in the lead-up to the wet-dry referendum vote in late 2010, most residents would agree that not much has changed in the several months since the first case of beer was sold.

Cullman hasn’t become an economic oasis in the midst of the Great Recession, nor has it been overrun with violent crime. Retail is starting to rebound, and tax revenues are up, but no earth-shattering announcements have been made to this point. Alcohol-related arrests are up slightly year-to-year, but still within the local average.

After a year of reflection, Cullman Mayor Max Townson said he believes the pros have outweighed the cons, and the community has adjusted well after more than 60 years without alcohol sales.

“I think it’s been a positive, and the council and mayor worked hard on the [control] ordinance, and I think we have a good one in place,” he said. “It’s been very positive from the standpoint of retail and taxes from the sale of legal alcohol. Instead of all that money going to out-of-town cities and counties, we’re keeping those dollars in Cullman County. Talking to the people, I have not heard a lot of negativity, and most believe it’s been well-handled.”

With half a dozen new restaurants announced or open since the vote — including a Logan’s Roadhouse in the works on U.S. Highway 157  — it’s hard to argue that legal sales have not had an impact on economic growth.

Cullman Economic Development Agency retail recruiter Susie Hood Ashley said alcohol sales have been a great recruiting tool to keep developers interested in the area.

“Interest is up very high, retail-wise. Lots of inquires. More than ever, and serious ones,” she said. “Alcohol has played a large role in attracting them, but our community and people is what will land the deals. I've been told several times lately what a pleasure Cullman is to work with.”

Though the past year has seen some movement, Ashley says the best is likely yet to come, as sustained growth is expected to spur more investment over the next several years.

“It is definitely a long term commitment. Most people don't realize how long it takes to put a project together,” she said. “With initial intro, site selection, due diligence and development, it can take two years to see one come to fruition.”

Over the past year a total of 52 businesses have received alcohol licenses, and legal sales are on pace to generate more than $1 million in new annual taxes for the city. In the wake of the April 27, 2011, tornadoes that hit the area, officials have opted to use much of that new revenue to launch a rebuilding grant program to spur downtown growth.

Cullman resident Tyler Schuman, who plans to co-own a Moe’s Original BBQ franchise in downtown later this year, said the ability to sell alcohol was an obvious factor when looking for a location to open his business.

“We technically could have [opened without alcohol], but the bar side is one thing we like to do as part of our culture,” he said. “It’s blues music, BBQ, and football. Having alcohol sales is a pretty big impact. It’s another niche we felt like we could take advantage of, and it went along with what we do.”

As a Cullman native himself, Schuman said he can already see the buzz alcohol has created in the local retail climate.

“I think it’s pretty big and we’ve seen a lot of growth,” he said. “A lot of new businesses are inquiring about coming to Cullman, because the opportunity is there, and when you get those nicer restaurants you get retail and the things that come with it.”

Fear that crime would drastically increase in a “wet” Cullman was one concern early on, though statistics tell a different story, and show no major changes over the past 12 months.

Arrests for driving under the influence (DUI) increased year-to-year from 2010 to 2011, though officials say the stats are in line with the city’s five-year average. There were 112 DUI arrests in 2011 — up from 89 in 2010 — but still down from the recent high of 150 in 2007.

“We are still right where we expected to be, and where statistics show we should be,” Cullman assistant police chief Craig Green said. “We’ve not seen any increase in any crime whatsoever since going wet. Things are pretty much the same, and things look about the same as they have in previous years.”

Green credited the strict alcohol ordinance that is now in effect, and the willingness of local business owners to comply, for the relatively smooth first year.

Though stats don’t show any drastic changes, the cultural shift hasn’t been easy for some citizens who took pride in Cullman’s long-standing “dry” tradition. East Side Baptist Church pastor Ken Allen, who led the “pro-dry” campaign in 2010, said he still believes sales will be a detriment to the community in the long run.

“I think more and more people will see the consequences of alcohol as time goes on. It’s just undeniable,” he said. “People can say crime doesn’t go up, and DUIs don’t go up, but I think those people are fooling themselves or lying to themselves, because it’s just not true. When the availability of alcohol is easier, naturally there is going to be an effect from that, and society pays the price.”

Considering the perceived cultural effects, Allen said he does not believe the potential economic growth was worth the change. Allen noted a Times story from October 2010, where a major developer said legal sales would help recruitment, and said he doesn’t believe it will have much of an impact.

“I can’t see how any promise the other side has made came to fruition,” he said. “The paper had a front page retail spread, and I have not seen or heard anything that resembled the front page of the paper. And, the things we have added have nothing to do with alcohol. Nothing added over the past year has anything to do with it.”

Townson said he himself shared some of those concerns early on, but believes the past year has shown Cullman is more than capable of keeping its unique charm intact — alcohol sales or not.

“If you look around town and travel through the city, you wouldn’t even know we’re wet,” he said. “The last thing we want to do is destroy the heritage and integrity of our town, and I believe it’s something we have been able to preserve.”

For Freeman, the Cullman he sees outside the window of his shop today looks the same as it did two, or three, years ago — and he doesn’t expect that to change anytime soon.

“All the negative things everyone thought were going to happen, I mean, it’s just not there,” he said. “I haven’t seen drunk people laying in the streets, or naked women standing around on the sidewalks. All the fears you heard leading up to it just didn’t happen.”



* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.