Ellijay to Make History!

On Sunday, January 6th, a change will happen in Ellijay that many thought they would never see. After a historic vote in November, restaurants are set to sell alcohol on Sundays for the first time since Ellijay was designated a county seat in Gilmer County on December 29th, 1834.

Jeff Davis, a bartender at Ellijay Restaurant Wolf Creek Canyon told FYN he is looking forward to the first day of Sunday sales.

“Of course we are (excited)!”

Davis said,

“It keeps money and revenue in cities instead of going out of the county, such as Jasper and everywhere else they sell it…It gives us the opportunity to make more money here.”

Sunday Sales will mark the restaurant’s second time making history with alcohol in Ellijay. In July 2010, the restaurant was the first restaurant ever in Ellijay to pour distilled spirits in the city after Ellijay first changed its ordinance allowing for this accomodation. In addition, Davis says this Sunday Wolf Creek Canyon will also be offering it’s usually full bar such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits to its customers.

Other restaurants, such as Jilly’s Pub and the Cajun Depot in Ellijay, are also expected to begin serving alcohol on Sunday. Since Ellijay City Council also approved the sale of alcohol by the package on Sunday, gas stations, such as Ellijay’s Marathon Station owned by Transfer Valley Management, are also expected to begin selling on Sunday.

However, while Sunday will be a historic date in Ellijay for alcohol sales, FYN also learned today that restaurants and business in East Ellijay such as East Ellijay’s Longhorn Steakhouse and Ingles grocery store began selling on December 23rd.

“We got a letter from the city of East Ellijay that said we could start selling on Sundays,”

said management at Longhorns in East Ellijay. East Ellijay, like Ellijay, also presented a Sunday Sales referendum on its November 6th election ballot.

While it looks like East Ellijay might have beat Ellijay to the punch, this doesn’t mean that it still won’t be a historic day for small town Ellijay.