SUNBURY -- Pretty soon, Weis customers will be able to buy a six-pack while they shop for groceries or enjoy a cold beer while they eat lunch.

The City Council approved Monday night the transfer of a liquor license from a Watsontown establishment to Weis Markets' North Fourth Street store.

David Gill, Weis' director of architecture, said the store plans to build an eatery in the store where it would sell six-packs. Customers also would be able to buy a single beer to have with their lunch.

However, Weis has two other stores in the state that have liquor licenses and almost all their liquor sales are from customers buying six-packs while they shop, not sitting down to have a beer.

"Our history with the ones that have been open, that's just not the atmosphere," Gill said. "It's the farthest thing from a bar atmosphere."

Many of the people buying the beer are mothers shopping with their children, he said, and they "don't want to walk into a dark, seedy bar to get a six-pack or go to a distributor to get a whole case."

Councilman Kevin Troup was concerned about the potential negative impact on local "mom and pop" beer distributors.

"We have to buy from distributors ... so one way or the other, the distributors are getting their cut," Gill said, though he admitted he didn't know whether Weis would buy from local distributors.

"We're not looking for volume," he said. "We're looking for convenience to the customer."

Councilmen James Eister and John Shipman and Mayor Jesse Woodring approved the application to transfer the license, and councilmen Troup and Mark Walberg voted no.

Gill said this is the first store in the area to be granted a liquor license, though Weis is looking into obtaining more.

n E-mail comments to rscott@dailyitem.com.