For a Worley business that wants to take advantage, the state has booze to sell.

The state contracted liquor store in the small town has given its resignation, meaning the Idaho State Liquor Division is hunting for a new business in Worley to sell state-provided adult beverages.

"We'll award the contract to who we feel is the most capable of responsibly offering the product," said Jeff Anderson, director of the ISLD.

While larger municipalities usually sport at least one state-owned liquor store, smaller communities must request the ISLD to contract with a local business.

The benefit? While prices are uniform with liquor stores across Idaho, contract stores tend to get a better product selection provided by the state, Anderson said.

On top of that, bars and taverns are required to purchase liquor from state owned or contracted stores.

"The community at some point requested the service (of a contract store), and it was granted," Anderson said.

Worley has had a state contractor since 2001, he added. The most recent was Worley Liquor Store, which has only operated as a state contractor for a year and now wishes to continue as a private company, Anderson said.

Spokespeople for the liquor store were not available to comment on Friday.

The ISLD is taking applications for a new contractor to peddle the goods.

Worley could also go without, making the nearest state store roughly 30 miles away in Coeur d'Alene.

"Worley is pretty far from a state-owned store," Anderson said.

Any business that passes the background and financial checks can be a contract store, he said. Some choose it to bring in extra money, he added.

"There's a grocery store in Kooskia, they've got a full service grocery store and then they sell our products, too," he said. "In some communities it could be an auto parts store."

The contractor is paid 12 percent of the first $375,000 in products sold, with the rest remitted to the state. The contractor earns 8 percent on the next $50,000, then 4 percent on everything sold thereafter.

The Worley contract store usually takes in about half a million dollars, Anderson estimated.

"They (contract stores) are necessary because communities are interested in the convenience of having the product available," he said.