A new Dallas-area location of Total Wine & More is opening in a still under-liquored city: Allen. The store will open at The Village at Allen at 190 East Stacy Rd. on May 18.

Allen finally joined civilization in early 2016 with its approval of the sale of all alcohol for off-premise consumption. Previously, only beer and wine could be sold in stores there. The 2016 vote paved the way for alcohol superstores like Total Wine & More and its various competitors.

In fact, Total Wine did the heavy lifting to get the matter put to a vote by the city. The Maryland-based chain collected enough signatures from registered voters to call for a special election.

This will be the seventh store in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The closest to Allen has been a store off US 75 in Plano; another is opening on Preston Road West Plano this spring.

The new Total Wine & More store in Allen spans over 22,000 square feet and features a bright and open layout, outstanding service, unparalleled selection, and the best prices in town on wine, beer, and spirits.

Store stores offer more than 8,000 wines from every wine-producing region in the world, more than 3,000 spirits, more than 2,500 beers, and a walk-in humidor featuring more than 300 fine cigars.

There's also a wine-tasting bar where customers can sample and learn about producers, regions, and varietals. A high-tech wine education center classroom offers consumer classes and special tasting events like "Meet the Maker" series and virtual tastings with producers from around the world.

Total Wine VP Edward Cooper says that they've spotted some unique emerging trends in the Dallas market.

"Customers want convenience in their shopping, and we provide one-hour in store pickup," he says. "You can go online and select products; the store will pick the products and have then ready for pick-up at the store within an hour."

He says that home delivery has also "caught fire" in DFW, allowing customers to shop from home and have purchases delivered to their door.

Local craft beer continues to be a huge trend; local beer accounts for 30 percent of Total Wine's beer sales in greater DFW.

There's also a growing interest in craft cocktails, and Total Wine stocks all the ingredients and accessories; for example, they have nearly two dozen types of bitters.

An emerging trend they've observed is the return of making classic cocktails such as sidecars, Manhattans, and slow gin fizzes at home. The store stocks more than 3,000 kinds of distilled spirits.

Total Wine & More's store team members participate in more than 100 hours of specialized instruction and training on various wine regions, production methods, varietals, brew styles, and tasting profiles.

The company was founded in 1991 and is co-owned by brothers David and Robert Trone and is the nation's largest independently owned retailer of fine wine, beer, and spirits. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, the company has grown from the first small store in Delaware to over 150 superstores in 20 states.