DENVER — Some family-owned liquor store owners say it is difficult to keep their businesses alive after voters approved the sale of beer and wine in grocery stores in 2022.
Proposition 125 has been in effect for a little over a year, beginning March 1, 2023. Independent liquor stores said the change has created an uneven playing field when it comes to competition.
"Since wine has gone into effect, it has been devastating for family-owned businesses," said Mat Dinsmore, who owns two liquor stores in Northern Colorado and is the President of Colorado Independent Liquor Stores United.
Dinsmore said since Proposition 125 went into effect, at least 100 independent liquor stores, and possibly as many as 150, have closed across the state.
Dinsmore and others are advocating for HB 24-1373, which would restrict hard liquor and spirits sales. The bill specifies that only liquor stores would be able to sell them, whereas now grocers can if they carry the correct licenses.
"Our bill, what it’s doing is it's saying, 'Hey, the voters decided.' Wine is absolutely at grocery and convenience stores. We're not arguing that. What we are trying to say is that there needs to be some safety rails on how it is sold, where it’s sold," Dinsmore said. "What it does is it throws a lifeline to these family-owned liquor stores."
The bill is currently making its way through the Colorado legislature.
From March 2023: Customers consider options with wine now for sale in grocery stories
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