Atlin Trading Post to close at end of September

TheAtlinTrading Post, agrocery and liquor store in northern B.C.near the Yukon border, will close for good at the end of the month.

James and Colleen Williams have anchored the town's food and liquor supply for almost 30 years. They havebeen trying unsuccessfully to sell the businessfor the past five years.

"Closing for good," James Williams says. "That's it. Time to retire."

That's not to say Williamswon't miss workingat the store.

"I'm going to miss the town, but I'm not moving. Still live twoblocks down," he says. "But I'm going to miss the public. They've been great to me and hopefully I've returned a favour to them."

When the businesscloses later this month, Atlin residents will lose their only government-licensed liquor vendor.

"It(the licence) hasgot togo with the grocery store at least that's what the government tells us," saysWilliams.

Atlin, a community of about 400 people, is not connected to the rest of British Columbiaby road. When the Trading Post closes, the closest government liquor store will be in Whitehorse, a two-hour drive to thenorth, although liquor off-sales are available from the one hotel in town.

The community will still have onesmall grocery store, the Food Basket, although it too has been for sale for some time.