Local brands take center stage at Utah’s 1st pop-up liquor store for NBA All-Star Game

SALT LAKE CITY — Booze became an important topic as state and local leaders began drawing up all the concerns that they’d have to address during NBA All-Star Game Weekend.

The event is expected to bring in well over 100,000 people, which could put a demand on the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services liquor stores, especially the relatively small full-service liquor store in downtown Salt Lake City. It also poses possible traffic congestion concerns for some of the other stores in the region.

As those discussions progressed, state officials began drawing up a concept for a temporary, pop-up store at the heart of the action, something that has never happened before in Utah. After about 18 months of planning, the store — located inside the Salt Palace Convention Center — is now a reality, as doors opened Thursday morning.

“We wanted to make sure that our visitors had a safe and convenient way to shop and take products back to their hotel or Airbnb without worrying about getting into a vehicle — they can do all of this on foot,” said Tiffany Clason, Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services director. “This is an innovative way for us to meet the demand for our visitors, meet the demands and needs for our local residents … and to make sure we do it in a way that’s safe and secure.”

The store will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The entire operation is entirely cashless but the store does take all major credit and debit providers; all prices are the same as at Utah’s other state liquor stores.

And as a finishing touch, the department decided to use the first-ever store to promote Utah. While there are plenty of global brands on display, there are also more than a dozen Utah beer, cider, wine and distilled products at the center of the store.

Every Utah booze manufacturer listed is included in the store, Clason said. Local brewers were even given a sneak peek of the store on Wednesday, which was met with excitement.

“It’s going to give our visitors an opportunity to sample, to try their products while they’re here — and possibly have something to take home as a souvenir or gift,” she said. “I think a lot of people don’t even realize what a great local producer scene we have. … We’re working hard to support them. This was just one way, with this event (to make) sure that they’re featured.”

There are also products with ties to the Utah Jazz at the store, such as Jazz part-owner Dwyane Wade’s wine collection “Wade Cellars” and Jazz legend Karl Malone’s vodka brand.

The pop-up store is one of a few ways to handle the safety of the All-Star weekend while also boosting the economic impact of the event, says Salt Lake City councilwoman Ana Valdemoros, who toured the store Thursday. The council invested about $1 million into economic development and public safety for the weekend, including more police out on the streets in the area.

“It has the feel of the Olympics — the excitement (and) the amount of people visiting Salt Lake City,” she said. “We want to make sure that this event goes (smoothly) and fun without any issues, in terms of safety.”

In fact, if successful, the pop-up store concept could return for other future major events, especially as Utah seeks to bring the Winter Olympics back to the region in either 2030 or 2034. It’s one of the ways the region can adapt to the needs of people coming to visit the area.

How Salt Lake City pulls off the NBA All-Star weekend is, in essence, a test of how it can handle its record growth while also balancing major events, something that hasn’t really happened since the 2002 Winter Olympics. Valdemoros said the city council is looking for feedback on how it does this weekend so it can adjust for a larger event during the Olympics.

“I don’t think we’re afraid of having this type of event,” she said. “I think we’re excited and our police department is well-equipped to take care of this. We have a great economic development in other partners, like the Downtown Alliance, to take on events like this. So watch out country, watch out the world, Salt Lake City is ready.”