Maryland liquor businesses worried about impacts if sales ban is lifted at grocery stores

BALTIMORE -- Maryland liquor store owners are concerned their sales could be severely impacted if the ban on beer and wine purchases in grocery stores is changed. 

Governor Wes Moore expressed his support Wednesday for an effort that would allow customers to buy beer and wine at grocery stores. 

Since 1978, state law has prohibited Maryland supermarkets from selling alcohol. Gov. Moore said the Maryland General Assembly will consider changing the law during the upcoming legislative session which begins on January 8, 2025.

Roxann Rogers, co-owner of Wells Discount Liquors on York Road in Baltimore, believes that if the law is changed, the corporate grocery stores will make it hard for small liquor stores and their employees to survive.

"The thousands of losses of jobs between distributors and our wine salesman that come in to do ordering and stuff is pretty significant," Rogers said.

"There's a lot of people that work here and they've been here for a long time and this is how they support their families," added customer Nikki Daue.

Alcohol sales change is "overdue"

"Lifting this ban puts people first and makes us more competitive. I look forward to working with our legislative partners to pass this overdue change," the governor said.

Maryland is one of four states that doesn't allow beer sales at grocery stores, joining Delaware, Rhode Island, and Alaska. Customers can buy alcohol in grocery stores in neighboring states Virginia and Pennsylvania.  

"Not only, it doesn't make sense for Maryland to be out of step with the rest of the country, but the reality is, if people want to come and have beer and wine, one of the common threads I see and hear is people want this to happen," Gov. Moore said. "This is about listening to the people."

Maryland is also one of 10 states that have banned the sale of wine in grocery stores. Gov. Moore said one of the concerns is that customers in Maryland can only go to designated stores to purchase alcohol.

"If a person is choosing to go buy beer or wine, in some communities, they have to do it through bulletproof glass," Moore said. "This is about making sure people who want to go and purchase beer and wine, should also have a chance to do it in dignity."  

Impact on small businesses

Wells Discount Liquors, a family-owned business, has served its customers for 87 years. Rogers said that lifting the ban could provide a financial hit.

"These liquor stores are all small businesses, we're a small business, family-owned, we've been around for 87 years," Rogers said.

Rogers hopes small business liquor store owners have an opportunity to have a say before the General Assembly makes a decision.

"Well, it'd be nice if (Gov. Moore) came and talked to people on the board or spoke to owners of these small businesses like us," Rogers said. "All of the grocery stores this would go into are owned by corporations outside of our state so there would be no financial gain for Maryland."

Previous attempts to change alcohol sales law

Maryland lawmakers considered a similar law in 2021. In order for grocery stores to qualify for a liquor license, the 2021 proposed bill required that the store offer a full line of products from a number of categories and be located in "priority funding areas."

The bill was introduced in the Senate and House, but both stalled after being proposed early in the year.

The Senate version was sponsored by Baltimore Democrat Sen. Cory McCray, and the House version was sponsored by Del. Lily Qi (D-Montgomery County).

"Just making sure everybody has the ability to compete and making sure that everybody has access is one of the things we're looking for," McCray said.

McCray argues that small liquor stores and grocery stores can co-exist in the beer and wine-selling business. 

"I think it is incumbent upon us to know that our small businesses and our grocery stores can co-exist, they can thrive, they can grow and this is a win-win for Maryland," McCray said.

In July 2024, Maryland passed a law that allowed local retailers to deliver alcoholic beverages through third-party platforms like DoorDash.

The law requires delivery drivers to apply for a service permit in order to deliver alcohol. Customers must be at least 21 and are required to provide ID to receive the delivery.