THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, January 8, 1996                TAG: 9601060013
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Editorial 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   49 lines

MUCH A-BREW ABOUT NOTHING WHAT'S IN A NAME

We don't condone drunken drivers, and drunken drivers are a danger to others and themselves.

That said, we are struggling to understand the donnybrook brewing in Virginia Beach over the proposed drive-through convenience store under construction on Pacific Avenue at 29th Street.

Perhaps it's the name of the place: Brew Thru.

This 2,000 square-foot drive-through convenience store is to be modeled after the four successful shops of the same name on the Outer Banks. The name is actually a misappellation: Those stores report that beer constitutes a small percentage of overall sales that also include the customary mix of snacks, soft drinks, souvenirs and cigarettes.

But Virginia Beach City Council last month bowed to a chorus of civic groups and local officials objecting to the Brew Thru by passing a unanimous resolution urging the Virginia ABC board to deny the developers a license to sell beer and wine.

Undaunted, the owners submitted their ABC application last week and a public hearing will be scheduled soon.

The organized opposition to the shop is puzzling in a city which seems to have a love affair with convenience stores. There are 55 7-Elevens at the Beach - three on Pacific Avenue.

It can hardly be the tackiness factor causing the brouhaha. Some of the most vocal opponents of Brew Thru led the unsuccessful effort to bring riverboat gambling to the city last year.

Even Virginia Beach Police Chief Charles R. Wall opposes the Brew Thru. He objects to ``anything that mixes alcohol and gasoline.''

That's a curious observation in a city where most people drive everywhere they go. Customers at other convenience stores arrive by car and presumably leave the same way.

And just a few blocks away from the proposed Brew Thru is a sparkling new ABC store that boasts a spacious parking lot.

A Brew Thru will not enhance the quality of life in Virginia Beach. But it doesn't seem fair to block the efforts of entrepreneurs trying to offer the same service as others - the difference being the addition of a drive-through window. by CNB