Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News)– Liquor stores can now stay open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
A Syracuse resident, James Williams, said he is already excited about the additional hours. “It’s going to help people ease, calm up for the rest of the weekend before they have to get back to work on Monday,” Williams said. He said that he is looking forward to weekends now where he can ‘relax and watch football with his favorite adult beverage.’
The recently passed legislation aims to boost the local liquor businesses by providing them with more hours.
However, the owner of Geddes Liquor and Wine, Arpit Patel, said this will not have any impact on his store. He said if anything this will negatively impact his business.
Patel says his store usually closes early on Sunday as the business is always low on the last day of the weekend. He said it would have been more beneficial if the legislation allowed more hours on Fridays.
“If they could maybe push it to 11 that would be better, we would make more money compared to this one, opening at 10 a.m. in the morning is not going to help us,” Patel said.
Patel said the result of this solely depends on how quick the customers get accustomed to the new hours, and that might take a few months. He said he will test out the hours to see how customers are responding to it.
But Patel has concerns about another proposal currently under discussion: issuing wine licenses to grocery stores.
“If that does pass it will impact us a lot we sell 50% liquor and 50% wine and if grocery stores get to sell wines, it will cut our business dramatically,” he said.
Patel says it will financially impact not only his store but many mom-and-pop liquor stores like his.
