Vote to Protect Colorado Independent Liquor Retailers
I just saw a headline saying the US has already surpassed early voting numbers from 2018. Pretty rad.
Photo by Hermes Rivera
A few years back my best friend and I started a tradition of voting together. We try to stay informed, but it’s tough to know everything about every measure on the ballot. So, we block out an evening, make a great dinner, and spend a few hours going through it, researching, and discussing it. It’s a process but we do it together and we take pride in it because it’s so important.
I share this because I know the vote can be overwhelming and we are all busy. This is an approach that has worked for us and it’s something I look forward to. Maybe it inspires you to do something similar with a friend or family member.
Even if you don’t agree on everything, at least you have a conversation and actually know why you think, or vote, the way you do. We did this with a group one time and it was crazy to see how people vote on things without knowing WHY they are choosing what they choose.
We have the future in our hands!
With that, I want to share some notes on a couple of items on the ballot this year that impact the Colorado liquor industry. As someone who has spent the past ten years working in wine and liquor distribution, I’m passionate about this subject and I hope you gain some insight here.
Colorado is a unique state in that we do not have chain liquor stores as you see in California and other states. Coloradans know that almost every grocery store here has a separate liquor store in the parking lot. As of 2021, Colorado had 1,592 licensed retail liquor stores. This is an important segment of small business in our state and it needs to be protected.
Prop 124: Regarding Liquor License Expansion: YES
Currently, big box stores like Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Costco are allowed eight liquor licenses. Colorado independent retailers are allowed three. THREE! What’s more, in the next few years the law says these huge companies will be allowed unlimited licenses while local independents will be limited to four.
WTF.
Voting YES on 124 would allow local independent liquor stores to expand to 8 licenses (or 8 locations). That number would then grow to 13, then 20, then unlimited, same as the big corporations. It’s fair and it’s the only way your local fine wine shop will be able to stay in business and grow!
Prop 125: Wine in Grocery Stores: NO
I get that it would be convenient to be able to purchase wine in grocery stores in Colorado. However, it’s important to understand that because we don’t have wine in grocery and massive chains, we get access to an exceptionally diverse range of products.
Small wine brands can shine in Colorado because the owners and buyers in independent retail stores taste and touch and connect with every bottle that hits their shelves. We do not have a homogeneous wine marketplace and I love that so much about our state!! We get unique stuff, “cool kid” stuff, and I really hope it stays that way.
If the grocery store sells wine, it’s a death sentence for the liquor store that shares the parking lot. Think about it. That’s a lot of small businesses.
In addition to over a thousand independently-owned liquor stores that would be endangered, Colorado is also home to hundreds of independent wine and liquor distributors. These guys are the unsung heroes of the industry because they’re the ones grinding along to bring all that awesome, small-production, cool kid stuff to our state.
Huge chains and grocery stores simply don’t do business with small distributors. They can’t. They are buying for lots of locations. They need enough product to go into multiple stores and to meet the demand for only the best-selling, most popular items. They simply don’t have time to do business with a small winery or distributor.
Voting NO on 125 is a vote to protect your favorite independent retailers, craft brewers, distillers, and distributors in Colorado. A phased, FAIR rollout of licenses, which in the current draft of the law, will allow everyone (including the grocers and big box stores) to compete on a level playing field.
There are many other important items on the ballot and I’m not here to impose my political beliefs on others. This post is about prioritizing your vote and about protecting Colorado small businesses. As a proud Coloradan, I care about the people and companies in my community.
I hope it’s valuable to some of you and I hope you join the conversation in the comments below.
