New Numbers Show Minimal Drop In Liquor Stores

It's been four months since the new liquor laws went into effect.

At first, the ABLE Commission was reporting a drop in the number of liquor stores, but that was just a paperwork issue. 

The ABLE Commission's number from November 2018 actually show an increase in the amount of licensed liquor stores. At the beginning of October, the commission reported there were 645 liquor stores, but that number dropped to 627 by the end of the month.

The growing concern was a steady decline in these stores, since grocery and convenience stores gained the ability to sell wine and beer. 

But in November, the ABLE Commission reported 10 stores opened back to 637. The commission told News 9 this was a result of late renewals, because licenses were expired, those 10 were counted as a drop in numbers. 

The ABLE Commission is finishing up the process of gathering numbers for their December report, but said they should have those soon. 

The commission blames the delay in reporting on an overload of work and their older receipt system. They say the data they pull for the reports comes from those receipts.