Opinion by Adrian Kuzminski Local business ownership is a benchmark of prosperity
Many people are unaware of a unique feature of commercial regulation in New York State. Our state — alone in the country — requires that licenses for liquor stores, retail outlets selling wine and spirits for consumption off-premises, be limited to one location in the state owned by a single individual.
No one can own more than one liquor store in the state. The 1934 Alcoholic Beverage Control Law ensures that each of the state’s more than 1,300 liquor stores are independently owned by sole proprietors.
Why does this matter? The effect of this unusual law has been to keep an important sector of retail commerce decentralized by ensuring the wide distribution of store ownership. By limiting ownership to one store per person, the law effectively bars chain stores from selling liquor in the state. In doing so, it provides opportunities not normally available for local entrepreneurs to succeed as independent business owners.
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