Tweedo's goes extra mile for customer satisfaction
Owner pushes liquor license through legislature
By Lindsay Sauvageau JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

Tweedo's Variety owner Tim Fissette says since the day he began operating the country store on Dunn Road, he has tried to listen to his customer's wants and needs. He's incorporating a pizzeria, a dairy bar and a miniature golf course to the store's services, now the Tweedo's owner has been pursuing a full liquor license for the store.

"We've had a beer and wine license all along but my customers have always asked why we don't have a full liquor license. When I finally had time to pursue it I realized that there weren't any left in Ashburnham," said Fissette.

After eight years Tweedo's has become not just a local convenience store, but a onestop shopping and entertainment destination. Whether it's to supply a slice of cheese pizza or quench a hankering to golf with the family, Tweedo's has reinvented itself for its customers. Fissette's newest project, to obtain for the town of Ashburnham an additional license for the sale of alcoholic beverages to be drunk off the premises, began with a request at town meeting and will end with a pass through the state House of Representatives and Senate and the signature of the governor.

"I've always tried to cater to my customer's needs. This is really for their convenience. I have a lot of customers that vacation for the summers around the lakes and I don't want them to have to travel anywhere else for the things they need," he said.

Wine and Spirits, in the center of town, and Mr. Mike's, near the Gardner line on Route 101, hold the two liquor licenses the town has because of the population.

The first step Fissette took was to petition the town of Ashburnham and collect a group of signatures from registered voters to get the liquor license article added to the town meeting agenda. Voters were given the chance to authorize the issuance of a new liquor license to the town during the meeting in May. Once the town voted in favor of the new license, Fissette began working with Jay Kuhlow in Sen. Stephen M. Brewer's (D-Barre) office to create the bill which was then sent to legislators.

The bill, which is currently engrossed in the senate, reads that "the licensing authority of the town of Ashburnham may grant an additional license for the sale of alcoholic beverages to be drunk off the premises of Tweedo's Variety and Pizza, Inc. located at 3 Dunn Road in Ashburnham. The license shall not be transferable off the premises."

The bill also goes on to note that, "it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience."

According to a representative in Brewer's office, when if and when the bill makes its way to the governor's desk and is signed, it will become valid immediately.

As far as Fissette is concerned, he is eager to see the bill pass to continue serving all the needs of his customers.

"The license is for alcoholic beverages to be drunk off site and we want to be able to carry what customers need without becoming a package store," said Fissette. "We just want to supply people in the area with what they need so they don't have to spend time traveling."