CASH MOORE, OWNER OF CASH'S, TO OPEN BAR AND LIQUOR STORE IN LAUREL HILL

As many local folks know, Cash Moore is a staple in the Liquor Store and Bar business and he has done very well. It is quite obvious he has seen the writing on the wall with the growth of the north side of Crestview to Laurel Hill and he wants to stake his claim to some more business in the area. This announcement comes right on the heals of the opening of the new Dollar General Store in Laurel Hill, which is doing quite well.

Laurel Hill to get bar, liquor store
November 05, 2011 10:00 PM
Paula Kelley
Florida Freedom Newspapers

LAUREL HILL — Laurel Hill is getting a combination liquor store and sports bar.
William “Cash” Moore told members of the Laurel Hill City Council this week he plans to open a retail liquor store and small sports bar at the site of the Whats It Shop on U.S. Highway 90, which is closing. Moore said he plans to open the business in January. “I had a liquor store here many years ago and here I am planning to open again for business in the north end of the county,” Cash said at a Tuesday night council meeting. “I have researched the state, county and your city guidelines, and my business would be fine under all three as it is more than three hundred feet from any school or church property.” Plans call for a small sports bar, with seating for between 15 and 20 people, Moore said. “I plan to close about 10 p.m. each night, maybe put a pool table in it,” Moore said. “I estimate my annual payroll to be around $50,000.” Moore, who owns 16 liquor stores, most of which include lounges, opened his first bar on Okaloosa Island in 1965 while still in college Although he has bars in major markets, he has also opened Cash's Liquors in smaller markets like DeFuniak Springs and Freeport. He got his start in liquor stores in Crestview, where three are located. Cash said he wants to be an asset to the community. “The school has fundraisers and I will be a key supporter,” Cash said of Laurel Hill School. City of Laurel Hill Attorney Dan Campbell said the proposed location of the liquor store will not violate any ordinances or regulations. “It’ll be good to have new business-associated revenue here and all the guidelines mentioned are correct,” Campbell said. “The property is the legal distance from the school.” “Laurel Hill needs new businesses and people will sure go see you,” council member Willie Mae Toles said. Not everyone was supportive. The Rev. Mike McVay, pastor at First Baptist Church of Laurel Hill, said he gas seen alcoholism destroy families and lives. “I do not support it and I will do everything I can to not see it come to Laurel Hill,” McVay said of the liquor store and bar. “This is not what the city needs. It's not the kind of business that schoolchildren need to see here, and I am not happy.”