Liquor stores in Carroll County could sell alcohol on Sundays under a state bill lawmakers expect will pass.
In Mount Airy, a town split between Carroll and Frederick counties, a store on Frederick?s side of the street may rake in money on Sunday. But on the other side, in Carroll, owners lose business because they can?t open on Sundays.
“Sunday is a good day for family for me, but at the same time, with the other county being only less than a quarter-mile away from me, it?s very detrimental to my sales to not be able to stay open on Sunday,” said Ben Golueke, owner of Mount Airy Liquors.
But other store owners, mostly in Westminster, oppose Sunday sales.
“We had such a mix of opinion about it, even the people who had their own business weren?t sure they wanted to work on Sunday, and they felt they would have to work on Sunday because everyone else is,” said Del. Tanya Shewell, R-District 5A.
She said she opposes the measure because it would take away from the time families can spend together.
Two other lawmakers from Westminster, Sen. Larry Haines, R-District 5, and Delegate Nancy Stocksdale, R-District 5A, also oppose the bill.
But four members of Carroll?s delegation supported the measure, and it will go to hearing Monday before the House of Delegates.
Carroll lawmakers say they expect the bill to pass in the General Assembly because it only affects their county.
Baltimore County forbids liquor stores to sell alcohol on Sunday, except the Sundays before Christmas and New Year?s Day, when stores can stay open. Baltimore City bans Sunday alcohol sales except between Thanksgiving Day and New Year?s Day for those issued a special license.
