November 13, 2006
Ending a dry spell | Businesses in dry towns look for a financial boost from relaxed liquor laws
Sidney residents looking for a bottle of whiskey or other spirits have gotten used to driving 20 minutes to Augusta or Waterville to find a liquor store. That's because, until last Tuesday, town law only allowed stores to sell wine and beer.
Sidney wasn't unique. More than 70 years after Prohibition ended, the state still has a handful of towns holding onto laws limiting the sale of booze. The exact number of towns that regulate alcohol is hard to pin down, because there are so many variations on the law. Some towns bar restaurants from serving alcohol but allow stores to sell it; other towns prohibit all establishments from purveying.
But if you live in or own a business in one of these so-called dry towns, you know. And, like more than a few business owners, you may be frustrated by the rules. "It restricts me from growing in that type of category," said Karl Kittredge, owner of Duke's grocery store in Sidney, of the town's ban on spirits sales.
Hoping to change that ordinance and boost his store's business, Kittredge collected more than 228 signatures to put the issue before Sidney voters on November 7. Voters by an almost two-to-one margin said stores should be allowed to sell spirits Monday through Saturday. (A second liquor-related question asked if stores should be allowed to sell spirits on Sunday. It was narrowly defeated.)
Kittredge said when he opened a year ago, he did not include liquor sales in his business plan. But now, he sees a relaxed liquor law as a convenience to Sidney residents, who could quickly dip into his small grocery and deli to buy their whiskey or vodka, possibly grabbing additional items along the way.
Desires for convenience or increased revenues have put the question of local liquor ordinances on the ballot in dry towns across Maine in recent years. And in towns that have loosened their liquor controls ˆ typically after a business owner petitions for a change ˆ some businesses say they have indeed seen a boost in revenue.
Yet other store owners say selling liquor simply isn't worth the trouble. "A lot of people buy a bottle of liquor and leave," said Dennis Robertson of Eggemoggin Convenience Store in Sedgwick. "Some people buy something else, too, but it's not a huge money makerˆ and you have to put up with inspectors coming in."
Chafing under what he described as too-restrictive state regulations on liquor prices ˆ all liquor distribution is handled by a private company in Augusta on behalf of the state, which sets wholesale prices ˆ Robertson said he has contemplated not offering the bottles much longer. Sedgwick, by the way, also is a dry town of sorts: It does not allow the on-premise consumption of alcohol, a law voters kept on the books after a golf course tried to change it two years ago.
What'll it be?
Following the repeal of the federal Prohibition law in 1933, Maine gave each municipality the option of deciding how much alcohol it wanted flowing within its borders. Some cities, like Portland and Westbrook, voted to wipe out all bans on alcohol sales, while other towns, like tiny Atkinson and Bowerbank, kept the restrictions.
Even today, when a town wants to change its liquor laws, it must do so through the local referendum process. Then, after voters approve the ordinance change, businesses that want to sell alcohol must apply for a license with the Maine Department of Public Safety, and put in place adequate security systems that deter underage drinking and break-ins, according to Jeff Austin, supervisor of the liquor licensing and inspections division.
Some business owners, like Robertson in Sedgwick, say the hassles of that system make the potential profits less appealing. But store owners like Kittredge in Sidney, who was banned from selling booze at all, would still like to try their hand at the market. However, if the experience of other formerly dry towns is any indication, relaxed liquor laws seem to have a more significant effect on restaurants.
Take Stonington, where residents in 2005 voted to allow the on-premise consumption of beer, wine and liquor. Previously, diners had to bring their own alcohol to drink in one of the island town's four restaurants ˆ a law that many residents say came about because of the town's history of rowdy drunkenness. Stonington was both a fishing town and a base for granite quarry workers, many of whom were single men who townspeople say took to the bottle to ward off the winter chill and Maine loneliness. According to local lore, the town's women got fed up with the behavior and passed an ordinance prohibiting alcohol. It's more likely, though, that Stonington simply kept its restrictions in place after the federal government repealed the national prohibition law.
Despite that legacy, Stonington residents voted roughly two to one to allow restaurants to serve alcohol, according to Town Manager Richard Avery. Three restaurants have since been licensed, and those business owners ˆ even one who voted against changing the ordinance ˆ say business has improved remarkably. "Our figures were down as far as the number of people we had this year, but the money part is right on what we did last year," said Harbor Café owner Adelbert Gross, citing liquor sales as the primary reason revenues have held up.
Gross said he voted against changing the law because he didn't want the responsibility of monitoring how much patrons were drinking. Now, he's trained his wait staff to stop serving after three drinks, at which point he comes out to assess a diner's level of inebriation before offering them more.
At Fisherman's Friend Restaurant, receipts show a 17% increase in sales, which owner Lauren Bray said translates into higher wages for employees. And the restaurant plans to extend its business hours, staying open four days a week through the winter.
The law change also could lead to new business development, Avery said. "Perhaps a larger, more destination-type restaurant might find it more financially feasible to come downtown," he said.
But he also sees a downside to such growth: New restaurants likely would cater to tourists and close for much of the winter. Instead, Avery would like to see more year-round businesses in town to boost the local economy.
The change also did not please some residents, who feared a rise in public disturbances and drunk driving (the town does not have its own police department). Resident Tinker Crouch said she envisioned a proliferation of bars because of what she considered lax liquor licensing requirements. "[The licensing] goes from serving beer and wine in a restaurant right straight through to having a bar, and we don't need that on the island and we don't need that in Stonington," she said.
Yet since becoming "wet," Stonington has experienced no spike in crime, just a couple of parking lot brawls, said Selectman Chris Betts. Still, he believes many people cling to the town's rowdy image. "We're still a frontier, we're the end of the line. You don't go any further unless you hop in a boat," Betts said. "So whether it's warranted or not, we have a reputation of lawlessness, although we've never had a murder in 100 years."
Sidney wasn't unique. More than 70 years after Prohibition ended, the state still has a handful of towns holding onto laws limiting the sale of booze. The exact number of towns that regulate alcohol is hard to pin down, because there are so many variations on the law. Some towns bar restaurants from serving alcohol but allow stores to sell it; other towns prohibit all establishments from purveying.
But if you live in or own a business in one of these so-called dry towns, you know. And, like more than a few business owners, you may be frustrated by the rules. "It restricts me from growing in that type of category," said Karl Kittredge, owner of Duke's grocery store in Sidney, of the town's ban on spirits sales.
Hoping to change that ordinance and boost his store's business, Kittredge collected more than 228 signatures to put the issue before Sidney voters on November 7. Voters by an almost two-to-one margin said stores should be allowed to sell spirits Monday through Saturday. (A second liquor-related question asked if stores should be allowed to sell spirits on Sunday. It was narrowly defeated.)
Kittredge said when he opened a year ago, he did not include liquor sales in his business plan. But now, he sees a relaxed liquor law as a convenience to Sidney residents, who could quickly dip into his small grocery and deli to buy their whiskey or vodka, possibly grabbing additional items along the way.
Desires for convenience or increased revenues have put the question of local liquor ordinances on the ballot in dry towns across Maine in recent years. And in towns that have loosened their liquor controls ˆ typically after a business owner petitions for a change ˆ some businesses say they have indeed seen a boost in revenue.
Yet other store owners say selling liquor simply isn't worth the trouble. "A lot of people buy a bottle of liquor and leave," said Dennis Robertson of Eggemoggin Convenience Store in Sedgwick. "Some people buy something else, too, but it's not a huge money makerˆ and you have to put up with inspectors coming in."
Chafing under what he described as too-restrictive state regulations on liquor prices ˆ all liquor distribution is handled by a private company in Augusta on behalf of the state, which sets wholesale prices ˆ Robertson said he has contemplated not offering the bottles much longer. Sedgwick, by the way, also is a dry town of sorts: It does not allow the on-premise consumption of alcohol, a law voters kept on the books after a golf course tried to change it two years ago.
What'll it be?
Following the repeal of the federal Prohibition law in 1933, Maine gave each municipality the option of deciding how much alcohol it wanted flowing within its borders. Some cities, like Portland and Westbrook, voted to wipe out all bans on alcohol sales, while other towns, like tiny Atkinson and Bowerbank, kept the restrictions.
Even today, when a town wants to change its liquor laws, it must do so through the local referendum process. Then, after voters approve the ordinance change, businesses that want to sell alcohol must apply for a license with the Maine Department of Public Safety, and put in place adequate security systems that deter underage drinking and break-ins, according to Jeff Austin, supervisor of the liquor licensing and inspections division.
Some business owners, like Robertson in Sedgwick, say the hassles of that system make the potential profits less appealing. But store owners like Kittredge in Sidney, who was banned from selling booze at all, would still like to try their hand at the market. However, if the experience of other formerly dry towns is any indication, relaxed liquor laws seem to have a more significant effect on restaurants.
Take Stonington, where residents in 2005 voted to allow the on-premise consumption of beer, wine and liquor. Previously, diners had to bring their own alcohol to drink in one of the island town's four restaurants ˆ a law that many residents say came about because of the town's history of rowdy drunkenness. Stonington was both a fishing town and a base for granite quarry workers, many of whom were single men who townspeople say took to the bottle to ward off the winter chill and Maine loneliness. According to local lore, the town's women got fed up with the behavior and passed an ordinance prohibiting alcohol. It's more likely, though, that Stonington simply kept its restrictions in place after the federal government repealed the national prohibition law.
Despite that legacy, Stonington residents voted roughly two to one to allow restaurants to serve alcohol, according to Town Manager Richard Avery. Three restaurants have since been licensed, and those business owners ˆ even one who voted against changing the ordinance ˆ say business has improved remarkably. "Our figures were down as far as the number of people we had this year, but the money part is right on what we did last year," said Harbor Café owner Adelbert Gross, citing liquor sales as the primary reason revenues have held up.
Gross said he voted against changing the law because he didn't want the responsibility of monitoring how much patrons were drinking. Now, he's trained his wait staff to stop serving after three drinks, at which point he comes out to assess a diner's level of inebriation before offering them more.
At Fisherman's Friend Restaurant, receipts show a 17% increase in sales, which owner Lauren Bray said translates into higher wages for employees. And the restaurant plans to extend its business hours, staying open four days a week through the winter.
The law change also could lead to new business development, Avery said. "Perhaps a larger, more destination-type restaurant might find it more financially feasible to come downtown," he said.
But he also sees a downside to such growth: New restaurants likely would cater to tourists and close for much of the winter. Instead, Avery would like to see more year-round businesses in town to boost the local economy.
The change also did not please some residents, who feared a rise in public disturbances and drunk driving (the town does not have its own police department). Resident Tinker Crouch said she envisioned a proliferation of bars because of what she considered lax liquor licensing requirements. "[The licensing] goes from serving beer and wine in a restaurant right straight through to having a bar, and we don't need that on the island and we don't need that in Stonington," she said.
Yet since becoming "wet," Stonington has experienced no spike in crime, just a couple of parking lot brawls, said Selectman Chris Betts. Still, he believes many people cling to the town's rowdy image. "We're still a frontier, we're the end of the line. You don't go any further unless you hop in a boat," Betts said. "So whether it's warranted or not, we have a reputation of lawlessness, although we've never had a murder in 100 years."
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