RALEIGH — The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission on Tuesday gave the Pembroke ABC Board permission to reopen the liquor store at 203 N. Vance St.

The unanimous decision, at a regular meeting of the state commission, comes just more than a year after the state closed the Pembroke store.

Michael Herring, chief administrator for the state ABC, recommended that the commission approve the reopening, saying he was confident the new board could make it profitable.

The three-member commission approved the shipment of liquor to the store as soon as it is ready.

Joshua Malcolm, chairman of the Pembroke ABC Board, and Michael Neville, a board member, were in Raleigh for the decision.

“Our goal is to earn the business of patrons we’ve lost,” Malcolm said.

The state closed the Pembroke store on Oct. 20, 2008, after an audit revealed money and inventory were missing. In a letter that year, Herring said that between 2004 and 2007, more than $30,000 worth of liquor and $19,000 cash went missing.

“That report showed there was a clear lack of control in managing public money as well as management practices in association with North Carolina ABC laws,” Herring said Tuesday.

Malcolm said the store will open after extensive renovations and the hiring of new employees.

“Integrity is the No. 1 characteristic we’re looking for” in new employees, Malcolm said. “That is the type of person we’ve got to have as our manager. ... The manager is the key person in this process, and we’ve got to get it right with him or her.”

For more details, read the Thursday edition of The Robesonian.