Long-term downtown business joins the crowd

Gibson's applies to add wine to its crowded shelves

Why did the chicken stagger across the road? To get to Gibson's, of course. Students who are tired of driving to Johnny's to buy wine may find it being served closer to home: Gibson's hopes it will soon be able to offer an array of fine wines to its patrons.

The store applied for a license for on- and off-premise sale of wine shortly after last year's elections, in which voters approved the revision of city liquor laws that extended back to Prohibition and left Oberlin virtually dry.

Gibson's is following in the footsteps of the local restaurants applying for permits to sell alcohol other than beer. Establishments like the Black River Caf� and the Foxgrape are also applying for permits to sell mixed drinks, while Gibson's is limiting itself to the sale of wine.

"Our intention is to be able to provide a nice wine selection to go with the fine and imported cheeses we sell and to complement the gourmet line selling in the store," David Gibson, vice president and treasurer of the business, said.

Because of the wording on last year's ballots, permits to sell liquor on a carryout-only basis are not allowed. The license Gibson's hopes to attain specifies that the store must have a place to serve wine to its customers, providing a minimum of one table and two chairs. It must also contain separate restrooms for men and women.

Gibson said the bathrooms are already in place and a table with two seats will be established if the permit application is approved. Although there are several outdoor tables as well, wine could only be served to people inside the premises.

There is no timetable for when the department of liquor control will approve or reject any of the businesses' permit applications. This is the second time Gibson's has applied for such a permit, after an initial application in 1983 fell through due to Oberlin's dry laws.

"We still believe it would be a nice offering for the community," Gibson said.