Many of Pennsylvania's state-run retail locations are being made over with an eye toward providing a better customer experience.

Pennsylvania last year entered what was, for the natives, a brave new world of alcohol sales.

Now on the cusp of the biggest alcohol sales weeks of the year, by several barometers it appears that long-stalled plunge into a more convenience-oriented market is working out.

So far.

More than 550 businesses have received expanded wine permits since summer 2016, enabling them to sell bottles of wine or six-packs of beer, often in "general store" type atmospheres.

That number includes about 330 groceries or convenience stores - or roughly five per county.

Wine sales at the traditional, state-owned liquor stores have been dented a bit, falling back from $851.4 million in 2015-16 to $848.9 in 2016-17, a drop of about 0.3 percent.

"There's clearly been cannibalization [at the state stores] and there's going to be more," said Wendell Young IV, president of the union that represents state store employees.

But agency-wide, that was offset by an increase in sales to licensees - bars, restaurants and clubs - that pushed the PLCB's overall wine sales to $1.042 billion for the last full fiscal year, up a full 5 percent from the year before.

(Remember, because it controls all wholesale operations in the state, sales to licensees and individuals all go through the state.)

Outside the PLCB, another $24.3 million in wine sales were registered by nearly 1,700 wineries who, for the first time in Pennsylvania, were able to make direct-to-door sales to connoisseur customers.

Beer and wine drinkers, meanwhile, still seem to be enjoying the novelty of wandering into a section of their favorite grocer and browsing through the aisles to create their own six-pack or even sidling up to the beer and getting a beer on draft.

Leslie Davis, of Middlesex Twp., enjoys the convenience of being able to pick up a bottle of wine with her groceries.

"I love the convenience," said Leslie Davis, a 48-year-old Middlesex Township resident reached at the Giant Foods store in Hampden Township this week.

"Because I'm already at the grocery store, and I don't have to go over to the liquor store to get it [a bottle of wine]. And the prices are basically the same," Davis said, adding with a wry smile, "I've checked."

These shoppers have also figured out the model: Grocery stores are primarily selling larger or local brands; while many have decent selections, their stake in the wine game especially is one of serving the convenience market.

The state stores, with much more store and shelf space and - in most cases - a better-trained staff, are for many still the spot to go for that something special.

The reforms seem to be working pretty well for wine producers, too.

"It's convenience to the customer, but it's also great marketing exposure for us," said Mike Wilson, a partner in The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey, who's been particularly pleased with in-store tastings and other promotions his products have received from the Wegmans in Cumberland County.

"They can learn a bit about our products, learn about our brand, learn about the grapes we're growing . . . and that all might inspire them to come out [to the vineyard in Londonderry Township] and have a great experience with us," Wilson said.

When it comes to beer, the reviews are more mixed.

Brewers, of course, are pleased with the additional outlets for their products.

And beer distributors are happy with January 2017 changes to beer laws that allowed them to sell beer in smaller quantities than kegs or cases, said Carson Baker, executive director of the Malt Beverage Distributors Association.

But some who are located close to supermarkets that now have their own beer gardens are suffering as are restaurants and bars that used to have the six-pack market all to themselves.

Some distributors reached for this story said they believe one key to success has been making improvements in response to the reforms, like adding cooler space for smaller quantity packages or putting in a growler station.

READ MORE: Ability to sell through grocery stores has wineries rethinking their off-site shops

"I did the modifications to make it work," said Roger Hosfelt, the landlord and an employee at Stan's Beverage in Carlisle, which sits just a stone's throw from a Giant Foods store and a state store.

Right after the nearby Giant opened its beer garden, Hosfelt said, he noticed business dropped off just as he suspects many restaurant takes a temporary dip when there's a new eatery in town.

But within a month the regulars were back, and plenty of new customers were checking out the expanded offerings, too.

"We're holding our own," Hosfelt said. "We're still selling beer every day. The lights are on, and the door's open."

That's the snapshot, one calendar year into these major customer convenience reforms.

But the picture isn't complete.

The PLCB, for example, is continuing to make approximately 1,000 defunct restaurant licenses available via periodic auctions. The so-called 'R' licenses are a first step that, in many cases, is needed to permit additional grocers, convenience stores and restaurants to get in the beer and wine business.

One hundred sixty-five "dead" licenses have been purchased thus far, PLCB spokeswoman Elizabeth Brassell said, and that roll-out is expected to continue for at least another three years.

By then, of course, the agency should also have completed promised upgrades to its own stores, including the introduction of the state stores' first-ever customer rewards program.

The agency is pushing forward in certain markets with its store makeovers, hoping to cement its position as the go-to place for customers who are interested in maximum selection and customer service.

Other locations in the 607 store lineup, of course, may close.

As leases expire, Brassell said, "we're taking an even harder look at where our stores are . . . and does it make sense to maintain, move or remodel?"

Only after all that plays out, many stakeholders say, will Pennsylvania - like a drinker who just downed a couple shots - really have found its new equilibrium.

"The real impact [of the 2016 changes] will be known three to five years out, when they get the maximum amount of wine-to-go licenses out there," Young said.

It's also why, in the near-term future at least, Gov. Tom Wolf is not likely to sign off on any additional significant reforms.

Administration sources reiterated this week that the changes in the last 18 months were the biggest to hit Pennsylvania's adult beverage industry since Prohibition. Making more before they have time to mature and, hopefully, succeed would be reckless.