NOLENSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Two new grocery stores are planned for the Nolensville area. Unless enough people sign on and get a referendum on the ballot, those stores won’t be able to sell wine.

The town of Nolensville is growing.

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“It is a fairly tight-knit community,” Nolensville town manager Victor Lay said. “People enjoy it because they still have a very small-town feel even though we are continuing to grow.”

In the works right now: two grocery stores. The Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association said that those locations will be a Publix and a Kroger. Lay said that they could open within the next year and a half. Shoppers may be able to buy wine there instead of at the liquor store.

“Wine and food go good together,” Rob Ikard, president of the association, said.

Right now, selling wine in grocery stores is approved for a referendum vote.

“People like to buy wine where they buy food,” Ikard said. “For people who like to pair wine with food, the convenience of a one-stop-shop can’t be beat.”

Ikard said that they need just under 600 signatures on a petition to get this measure on the November ballot.

“That represents 10 percent of the number of Nolensville voters who voted in the last gubernatorial election, and that’s what is required to get a referendum question on the ballot,” Ikard said.

Lay said that most residents are for it. He said that it could also boost Nolensville’s economy.

“There is sales tax and anytime you can create sales, that’s a benefit to the town,” Lay said. “Secondly, it gives the retailers who might want to come to Nolensville the option to add that to their inventory.”

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Residents can sign the petition Saturday at Nolensville’s annual Star Spangled Celebration. You can also sign it here.

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