SHERWOOD, Ark. — On Tuesday, Sherwood’s alcohol sales ballot issue—unofficially known as Act 4 Sherwood—passed with over 73% of the vote.
"We were elated,” said Monica Treat, who spent months knocking on doors and collecting signatures for the effort. “It was just like, ‘Oh, it's actually happened!'”
The effort’s goal was to change an old law that only allowed businesses in certain parts of Sherwood—specifically, anywhere south of Maryland Avenue—to sell alcohol, while businesses north of that line could not.
Sherwood Mayor Mary Jo Heye-Townsell, who supported the change, said that the “dry” parts of Sherwood encompassed around two-thirds of the city and strangled economic growth in those areas.
Heye-Townsell said the law scared businesses away from the area, including major retailers and grocery stores.
"No one wants to go head to head with the biggest grocery retailer in the world in Walmart,” Heye-Townsell said. “Without being able to be on the same level playing ground."
With Tuesday night’s result, all of Sherwood will have the same liquor laws starting Jan. 1. Heye-Townsell said this has already led to interest from at least one major retailer—although she can’t make an official announcement just yet.
"I actually, that night, got on the phone and made contact with a retailer that we've been in talks with,” Heye-Townsell said. “They called me up first thing the next morning, and they were super excited…. there's a chance that we could have a groundbreaking in 2025 if all goes well, maybe 2026.”
Heye-Townsell said to stay tuned as more plans come into place.
In the meantime, other volunteers for the effort—like her husband Tab Townsell—are just grateful to those who helped make the change that they believe will improve the city.
“We want to thank the 3,876 people who signed the petition and over 5,000 people who voted for it through early voting and then on Tuesday," Townsell said. "They’re the ones that deserve it. They're the ones that see the same vision we saw.”