Shirley Yeager and a few Shamrock Liquor Warehouse employees gathered Monday (Aug. 18) to celebrate a building permit that puts them on a path toward Yeager’s aggressive goal of re-opening the store by Christmas or New Year’s Day.
Shamrock, located at 5609 Midland Blvd. in Fort Smith, was closed after an April 16 fire. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical issue in the drive-thru area, according to Yeager.
Yeager, who owns Shamrock, said the store had 18 employees prior to the fire, and she is ready to get as many of them back to work as soon as possible.
“You know, they (contractor) haven’t told me no on getting it ready by then (Christmas), so maybe there is a chance,” Yeager said Monday.
The building permit issued by the City of Fort Smith is for $1.5 million, and Yeager said the cost to have the store ready to open will be closer to $2.5 million. The approved permit was part of a small impromptu celebration Yeager had with a few employees Monday morning.
“We wanted a picture with the building permit to let people know that we are rebuilding. We looked up through that (roof) and we could point up to the sky and we all agreed that the sky is the limit,” Yeager said about the Monday morning gathering.
With demolition already complete, construction began Monday, with much of the roof components for the 15,000-square-foot structure delivered early Monday, Yeager said.
Yeager, who has been in the retail liquor business for 47 years, said she is excited to be able to make changes to the store interior based on her experience with inventory management, customer flow, and other factors.
“I get to make some changes for what I would like it to be,” Yeager said. “The new arrangement of the store layout, well, it’s going to be totally different. I’m also going to have a new entrance.”
The first store was opened in July 1952 when George Donald and W.M. Ernest Yeager partnered to buy Twin City Liquor. The partners would open other retail operations, including liquor stores, in Fort Smith. Shamrock Liquor was purchased in 1978 by Ernest Yeager’s son, Ed Yeager. The company in 1988 opened a larger store at the 5609 Midland address.