Forgot to buy the case of beer for the after-church party you were having on football Sunday? Forget the drive to Tennessee.  

UNA students can take a short, 10-minute drive to Doozy’s Fine Wine, Spirits and Ale in St. Florian to purchase alcohol the last day of the weekend.

Father-son combo, Byron Bower IV and Trip, opened the store in April after the city of St. Florian passed an ordinance to allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays. Doozy’s made claim to be the first liquor store in St. Florian.

“We wanted to have something nice a lady could walk into and feel comfortable,” Trip Bower said. “Some package stores are sketchy. We wanted to be different.”

Trip graduated from UNA in 2009 with a degree in accounting and now takes care of the books, along with the craft beer selections at the store.

Sister Jessie Bower came into the picture upon her return from Charleston, South Carolina where she taught Arts Management at the College of Charleston. She continues to teach a class online.

She bought her dad’s share of the business and now addresses the bourbon and wine selections.

Jessie said she learned about wines in France when she attended pastry school in Southern France.

Jessie said while business is flowing everyday, Sundays seem to be the busiest.

“Sundays are a circus,” she said. “They’re fun.”

Senior Eldwin Aparicio loves Doozy’s because he can purchase beer there on Sundays, he said.

“Sunday is the weekend, and that means no school and no work for me so if I want to buy beer and watch football, I can do it,” he said.

Doozy’s deters from the ordinary package store by offering a full array of 16 draft beer taps, seasonal and domestic brews, making beer-to-go no more a no-no.

Brown jugs called ‘growlers’ with the Doozy’s logo printed on the front line the shelves under the taps, and customers have the option to choose a 64 oz. for $5.75 or a 32 oz. for $4.75. Beer prices vary.

The store also offers a variety of other beers, liquors and wines.

“We have the largest craft beer selection in the whole area,” Jessie said.

After customers select a beer, Trip, Jessie or another employee will pull the tap to fill the bottle, screw on the cap and shrink-wrap it so no one leaves with an open container.

“The growler is yours to keep,” Jessie said. “We encourage everyone to bring it back and try some different beers.”

Trip said he thinks the Shoals is a few years behind Huntsville on the craft beer scene.

“We hope to make Doozy’s the craft beer headquarters,” he said. “The growlers are a great way to introduce people to different beers.”

Customers rave about the friendliness and hospitality radiated from Trip and Jessie’s faces from behind the counter.

Sophomore Cain Smithson said the hometown, community atmosphere is what keeps him coming back over and over again, adding “it is cheaper than Lil’ Steve’s.”

“Being able to buy beer on Sundays is great,” he said. “I love being able to go in and buy something when I get off work on Sunday afternoons.”

Smithson said Doozy’s has become his favorite place to purchase alcohol, and will remain that way.