City Council will discuss expansion of Class C liquor licenses to convenience stores at the council meeting tomorrow night. Currently, they cannot get a license to sell beer or wine and the Liquor Advisory Board has voted twice in the past couple of years to approve expanding Class C availability to them.
Deserved or not, Carbondale does have a reputation as a business unfriendly city. Not allowing convenience stores and gas stations to sell beer and wine only serves to reinforce that image. Near as I understand, there are two arguments in favor of keeping the restrictions in place.
1. Competition from convenience and gas stations could drive already existing liquor stores out of business. Giving government sanctioned protection to one group of businesses over another doesn't seem particularly fair though.
2. People drive into the gas station or convenience store, buy beer and drive off, opening one to drink as they drive. This one doesn't make much sense either, especially since we have at least two liquor stores in town with drive up windows.
I cannot think of any other good reasons for not allowing convenience stores to sell beer or wine. Am I missing something?
Deserved or not, Carbondale does have a reputation as a business unfriendly city. Not allowing convenience stores and gas stations to sell beer and wine only serves to reinforce that image. Near as I understand, there are two arguments in favor of keeping the restrictions in place.
1. Competition from convenience and gas stations could drive already existing liquor stores out of business. Giving government sanctioned protection to one group of businesses over another doesn't seem particularly fair though.
2. People drive into the gas station or convenience store, buy beer and drive off, opening one to drink as they drive. This one doesn't make much sense either, especially since we have at least two liquor stores in town with drive up windows.
I cannot think of any other good reasons for not allowing convenience stores to sell beer or wine. Am I missing something?
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