Owners of package stores from across Connecticut crammed into the lobby of the Legislative Office Building Monday as a show of defiance against the governor's proposals to make changes to their operations.
Under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's plan, liquor sales would be allowed until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 p.m. on Sundays, according to the Mirror. Liquor stores are currently open until 5 p.m. on Sunday.
"They are not mandatory" said Office of Policy and Management Secretary Benjamin Barnes who handles budget matters for the Malloy administration. "They are optional.”
Malloy has proposed to allow liquor stores to remain open longer during the week and on weekends, and modify minimum pricing rules, allowing for great competition among stores.
But that's not how smaller store owners view the ideas.
“It just seems anti-small business to me" said Greg Nemergut, the owner of West Side Wines and Spirits in West Hartford. "It sounds like it's meant for the big stores."
Nemergut's store primarily sells wines and doesn't make much off of liquor sales but said the proposed changes confuse him. He doesn't see the need for what Malloy and Barnes are pushing.
“I don’t think my customers are screaming at me to be open until 10 o'clock at night or until eight oclock on Sundays. I just don’t see that. I’m going to respond my clientele and that’s just a personal decision on my part.”
Barnes says the proposals are meant to improve Connecticut's competitive position in New England. He says the increased hours will lead to more customers from neighboring states purchasing alcohol in Connecticut. The projected increases in revenue are paltry in the grand scheme of the state's $18 billion budget for FY 2016. Barnes projects that the measures will raise slightly more than $3 million total.
“Our estimated revenue is based on the assumption that there will be increased sales particularly at locations near the borders during those expanded hours," Barnes told the Finance Committee.
Small business owners say they don't want to see larger retailers that can afford more operating costs get their business.
"This isn't about not wanting to do the work" Nemergut said. "I'll never turn customers away but I will make adjustments to fit my clientele."
At 11 a.m., there was a public hearing on the governor's budget in the Legislative Office Building, including the governor's plans for establishments that sell beer, wine and spirits.
If the liquor store proposal passes, the new hours would go into effect as of Jan. 1, 2016.
