A convenience store and a grocer are each seeking the City of Powell’s newly available retail liquor license — and it’s possible that other businesses will also apply.

The Pit Stop #12 gas station and convenience store and Albertsons LLC, which owns the former Shopko building, filed applications over the past week. The city is accepting applications through Tuesday, Dec. 15.

The Albertsons address, at 1005 W. Coulter Ave., is the former location of the Powell Shopko, which went bankrupt and closed in June 2019. Albertsons purchased the 28,500 square-foot building in January from a private investment firm that had bought up 78 Shopko properties amid the chain’s bankruptcy.

Floor plans included with the Albertsons application show the layout of a grocery store, with the liquor department next to several checkout lanes.

The Pit Stop location, located at 241 W. Coulter Ave., is owned by Bailey Enterprises, Inc., based in Riverton. The company operates another Pit Stop location on East Coulter Avenue that already has a liquor license.

Bailey Enterprises also operates Bailey Tire & Auto in Riverton and Lander, two Bailey Oil Fuel Depot locations in Cody and Speedway Cafe in Riverton.

Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, Albertsons operates some 2,260 retail food and drug stores, with 1,732 pharmacies, 402 fuel centers, 23 distribution centers and 20 manufacturing facilities. That includes a store in Cody. Beyond the Albertsons brand, the company also operates as Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos, Haggen and United Express.

Albertsons Companies Inc. says it has roughly $60.8 billion worth of annual sales across its stores.

The retail liquor license now up for grabs was previously held by Steve Wahrlich, developer of the proposed Powell Clocktower Inn. Wahrlich had held the license for two years, but notified city officials this fall that he did not intend to renew it. Because the planned hotel and conference center still has not broken ground, Wahrlich said he didn’t want to hold the license up any longer.

Councilors originally awarded the license to the Clocktower Inn in late 2018. At the time, Club Dauntless owner Stacy Bair also sought the license, planning to build a complex that would include not only a gym, but also a high-end “Dauntless Club” sports bar. The city council chose the hotel project by a 4-2 vote. Bair, meanwhile, moved forward with the fitness center and opened the Club Dauntless location in late 2019.

The Powell City Council will hold a public hearing on the applications at its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 4. Since there are multiple applicants for the license, the council will again need to decide which business to award the license to.