“Can I get a bacon egg and cheese — and a bottle of merlot?”
Grabbing a pack of beer from the local bodega fridge has long been the norm in New York City, but now there’s a push to add wine and other booze to the shelves.
There is a new effort to change New York state law that would allow small businesses, like bodegas, to sell wine and hard alcohol, along with local supermarkets.
“No one is looking to kill liquor stores. We want everyone to enjoy economic opportunities,” said State Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo. “We know that bodega owners are experiencing the same thing as everyone else. Everything is more expensive — rent, electricity — and this gives them an opportunity to compete.”
But adding hard liquor to the stores could be a hard sell. In the past, there has been major pushback from some community groups, along with liquor and wine merchant lobbyists, when proposed changes to the state law comes along.
“Yeah, it’s not a good idea. Too many people walking around with mental illness, they don’t need their hands on liquor,” said Martha Hunter, voicing her concerns and questions at her local deli along Southern Boulevard in the South Bronx.
But supporters of the move want more revenue as they face more increases in the cost of doing business.
“We’ve been struggling. Hard to do work,” said Radhamés Rodriguez, President of the United Bodegas of America. “Before, we didn’t sell hot food, but today the bodegas have had to implement it simply to survive.”
Also in favor of the law change: winemakers in the state.
“New York State is a wine-producing state, and this is a way to support production,” said Francisco Marte, the president of the Bodegas Association.
Currently, the proposed bill includes wine and liquor, but Assemblywoman Septimo said she is open to possibly just doing wine, for now. She added that the proposal is still in its very early stages.
