Cited in 1998 for an underage alcohol sales violation, 9th Street Grocery has now become a leader in the community

 By Christie Scotty, Newberg Graphic reporter

    Two statewide awards have landed in the lap of a local business for its responsible alcohol  selling practices.   Both the Oregon Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking (OCRUD) ‘Lifesaver’ Award and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) Responsible Licensee Award were bestowed upon  9th Street Grocery owners Harold and Linda King at a recent awards ceremony.
    The business, cited in 1998 for selling alcohol to a minor during an OLCC decoy operation, has  since become a sort of role model for other local businesses.
    "It’s turning something negative into something positive," said Linda King. "The police said we  now help protect our neighborhood."
    The store was the first in Yamhill County to purchase an "identifier," a machine that scans licenses  to determine whether the person trying to purchase alcohol is the age he or she is claiming, and  stores the information.
    Cindy Bolek, public information officer for the Newberg Police Department, said the store is the  only one she knows of in town that has purchased the identifier.
    King said the machine cost between $1,200 and $1,300, but has been well worth the expense  and gives the clerk some added help when coming across a troublesome license.
    "We confiscate the license and call the police," Linda King said. "The nice thing is when we scan  the license, if (the customer) gives us a lot of trouble, I tell the clerks to just give the license back  because we have all the info on the identifier."
    Harold King said that besides refusing sales to intoxicated customers, he follows them out to their cars and makes every effort to stop them from climbing the behind the wheel.
    If he fails, the next step is to call the police.
    Newberg Police Chief Bob Tardiff nominated the store for the OLCC award after noticing a  continued effort by King and his employees.
    "I couldn’t give you an exact number of (resulting) arrests, but he calls frequently," Tardiff said.  "It’s a real deterrent as far as it doesn’t take long for word to get out around young people that  hey, he’ll call the police."
    Since 9th Street Grocery employees began attending OLCC training and encouraging other  markets to follow suit with alcohol practices, the police have seen an increase in cooperation from  other area stores, Bolek said. 
    Linda King said that with four kids of their own, the Kings had never intended to allow alcohol to get into the hands of underage drinkers. She said their 1998 citation cost the business about $8,000 total and they hope other businesses will realize the costs of selling to minors are too high. 
    The store’s OCRUN award was one of only two handed out in the state. The coalition praised the market for installing cameras and a sound system in their refrigerator section, giving ongoing training to employees, improving communication with local police, and being only the second store in Oregon to install the identifier machine to verify ages.

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(Reprinted by permission of the Newberg Graphic.)