7-Eleven owners: Business will fail if liquor license revoked

The owners of a Carson City 7-Eleven franchise said they could lose the business if the city revokes their liquor license on Thursday.

City staff is recommending that the city liquor board revoke the license of the 7-Eleven at the corner of Highway 50 East and Airport Road. The gas station was cited three times in six months for selling alcohol to underage decoys working with the sheriff's department.

Dick Nollet, who owns the business with his wife, Deanna, said their sales would drop 18 percent if the liquor license was revoked.

"We would lose our business and all the investment we put in our business," Deanna Nollet said.

Dick Nollet said they did everything they could to stop liquor sales to minors. They make employees take a computer training course, warn them about the importance of the issue and have cash registers that tell employees to check ID for alcohol and cigarette sales.

He said he ordered all employees to check ID for every alcohol sale after the store got its second citation.

The gas station the Nollets have owned for 11 years was fined $100 when an employee sold alcohol to a minor in July and $500 when the same employee sold alcohol to a minor in November.

The liquor board on Dec. 3 ordered all employees to attend a sheriff's department alcohol server class within three months because of the second citation.

Deanna Nollet said they sent their employees to the first available class this week. The city would be unfair to punish them for not sending employees sooner, she said.

The gas station was cited for the third time within six months Dec. 19, when police say another employee sold alcohol to an underage decoy.

The Nollets, who own two 7-Eleven gas stations in the city and employ 10 workers, said they support regulation of alcohol sales to minors. But owners who have thoroughly trained employees on alcohol sales should not be fined along with employees who sell to minors, they said.

The gas station can reapply for its license in six months if the city revokes it. The six-member liquor board would have to unanimously approve it.

- Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.