It wasn’t all that long ago that the only way to purchase a six-pack was to drive out into the county, where there were a lot of small beer stores scattered around, most of them featuring covered, drive-through lanes. In May 2009, voters approved package alcohol sales within the city limits, and these beer stores weren’t able to compete. After all, who’d drive all the way out in the country to get beer when it was readily available right here in town?

This place was one of those old beer stores; it had the requisite drive-through lane and looks to have featured Budweiser quite prominently. I can’t explain the mattress wedged into the building, but the “Drive Safely” sign is a thoughtful reminder.

(True Story: the first round of permits for in-town alcohol sales kicked off in September 2009. My spouse and I were on vacation when the fateful day arrived. When we got back to Lubbock, we stopped at the grocery store on the way home just to gaze at the booze for sale RIGHT THERE. We felt, finally, like grownups.)

Lubbock County, Texas
photographed 8.17.2014