County set to OK liquor store at McCarran baggage claim

By Joe Schoenmann

Monday, Oct. 18, 2010 | 12:31 p.m.

It won’t be long before tourists can buy liquor in the baggage claim area of McCarran International Airport, the first such setup in the United States.

The Clark County Commission appears poised to approve an airport liquor store contract Tuesday with Lee’s Runway Liquor LLC.

At 49 pages, the contract says Clark County will keep 15 percent of the store’s gross revenues. An airport spokeswoman did not immediately know if projections for gross revenues had been made by airport staff.

The store will be allowed to sell liquor directly to customers or through the Internet, with customers picking up their online purchases in an "assigned area." The contract also gives the county the right to change its percentage after three years.

Hours of operation would be from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven day as a week and on holidays. The contract specifically says that the hours might be increased at any time "but may only be decreased with prior written approval."

The liquor store must open no later than 120 days after the contract is approved, unless an extension is granted in writing. Detailed plans of the store must be completed by the business within 90 days of the signed agreement.

Lee’s Airport Liquor scored higher than other competing applicants and the commission voted 5-2 in August to allow the county to negotiate a lease.

McCarran operations are not funded by taxpayers, but by the revenue the airport takes in via leases to vendors and fees to airlines.