As Retailers Begin Applying for Licenses to Sell Hard Liquor, Smaller Stores Hope to Get Some Action
The Washington Liquor Control Board has received 150 spirits retailer applications and 6 spirits distributor applications, although no licenses have yet been approved, according to a Board spokesperson. Only six applications were from retailers without an existing liquor license.
An initiative last year eliminated the state monopoly over the sale of hard liquor. Although the initiative limited liquor sales to retailers with more than 10,000 square feet of enclosed space in hopes of limiting access to alcohol by teenagers, many applicants are expected to seek licenses under the "trade area exception." That exemption allows a retail spirits license to be granted if there there is no spirits retail license holder in the trade area that the applicant proposes to serve.
The liquor board is not saying whether it will grant a Spirits Retail License under the exception before it promulgates further rules defining "trade area," which the board says may not happen until after the June 1, 2012, start date for private retail spirits sales.
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