Stratford Star

Shaking up blue laws

Gov. Dan Malloy has announced plans to shake up the state’s liquor laws — some of which predate Prohibition — in an effort to give a jolt to the state economy.

The two major parts of the law would allow for the sale of alcohol on Sundays, certain holidays and on Mondays that come after Sunday holidays, and the elimination of minimum pricing with the aim of driving down costs for consumers.

While much of these changes would bring Connecticut more into the 21st Century, it is worrisome to see how the state is focusing on sin taxes, such as liquor and online gambling, to make up for too much spending in Hartford.

Gov. Malloy cited statistics that Connecticut wine and liquor retailers may be losing as much as $570 million in sales each year to surrounding states because of blue law policy. That number, coupled with the lingering hangover of the Great Recession, may be reason enough to back his proposed legislation to be introduced in the next session.

While it has yet to be seen whether Sunday sales will just reduce Saturday purchases, making the whole point moot, as some local retailers contend. Anyone who lives in this area knows well the pain of making a border run to pick up a six-pack for the Sunday game. We can’t see how this tradition, based in antiquated and muddled laws, has not meant lost revenue for many of our businesses.

Legislators are calling for more business-friendly practices in this state. Well, let’s make Connecticut competitive with neighboring states in this industry. Let’s allow local businesses more flexibility to decide if they want to sell these products, and how late they want to keep their doors open to do so. Let’s offer consumers more options and later hours so that they spend their dollars in this state.

Liqour retailers should be permited to offer volume discounting and allow retailers to directly improt product, currently prohibited. As Peter Troilo of Stratford, who owns Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines in Darien, wrote in a Darien Times column on this subject almost a year ago, it is becuase of these state laws that make it difficult to compete with neighboring states — even more than the Sunday blue laws.

Instead of keeping stores dark on Sundays, this proposed legislation, the governor says, would keep Connecticut “open for business.”

There could be a cost involved, however. Smaller stores may have a tough time hiring the staff needed to stay open the extra hours. Larger vendors, some already open 24-7, have the staff now, and won’t face that problem.

The state’s blue laws are antiquated and make little sense. But will that incongruous bit of history also spell the end for family-run neighborhood stores already struggling to survive?

Most if not all of the recent initiatives designed to support Connecticut business have supported big business. Yet politicians are fond of pointing out that small business is a bigger driver of the economy.

Few would argue that the blue laws belong in the past. But not if it means driving long-time establishments into history as well.

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