Eden Prairie will open a larger, remodeled municipal liquor store today near Kowalski's in the Prairie Village Mall on W. 78th Street overlooking Hwy. 5.
One of three liquor stores operated by the city, the store has grown from 5,000 to 8,000 square feet in a new space next to its old location.
"It's a remodel of the store," said Eden Prairie finance manager Sue Kotchevar.
The city remodeled its Den Road store across from Cub Foods in 2007. The third store -- at Prairie View Mall next to Rainbow Foods -- is not scheduled to be updated.
Sales for the three stores in 2008 were more than $11 million, up 5 percent from 2007, Kotchevar said. After product costs and salaries, the stores bring in about $1 million a year for road, building and parks improvements.
The city views $1 million as "quite a large number," Kotchevar said. "If we had to levy taxes for that million, it would be a 3 percent tax increase for the homeowner."
The city has no plans to open a fourth store.
LAURIE BLAKE
