A bill that would let for-profit private clubs apply for a full liquor license passed unanimously in the Oregon Senate on Thursday and now moves to the House for committee assignment.
Sen. Chris Telfer, R-Bend, worked with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to write Senate Bill 1039, which was sparked by Adam Bledsoe, co-owner of a private wine club, The Loft, in downtown Bend. The Loft has been limited to selling beer and wine because Oregon statutes only allow private clubs to sell liquor if they are a nonprofit or an athletic or golf club, according to a previous article in The Bulletin.
Bledsoe founded The Loft, located on the second floor of the 919 Bond Building, with his brother Drew, a former professional football player, and Chad Wold, an investor who operates two similar clubs in Montana, according to the Bulletin article. The Loft charges its roughly 110 members $200 a month on top of their $2,000 initiation fee, according to the article.