You can buy wine on Sunday: Governor signs bill, liquor stores can open Sunday

Ed Fryer, owner of Village Wines, has been planning for this.

Starting this weekend, Tennesseans will be able to purchase wine and liquor on Sunday.

“It’s sort of a new day and a new starting point for Tennessee retail liquor sales,” Fryer said from his store in Hillsboro Village.

Village Wines will be among the first liquor stores to take advantage of the new law, and will open on Sundays at noon.

“We’re in a part of Nashville where a lot of folks aren’t from Nashville,” Fryer said. “A lot of (people) never really understood why we had to be closed Sundays anyway.”

Gov. Bill Haslam signed the measure allowing Sunday sales into law Friday, according to his office.

That means you'll be able to buy wine and liquor in liquor stores this Sunday — if those businesses decide to open that soon.

But under the new law, Sunday sales of wine in grocery stores must wait until Jan. 6.

► More: Sunday wine sales in Tennessee: What you need to know

► More: Gov. Bill Haslam says he'll sign legislation allowing Sunday wine sales after Senate passage

The legislative debate

The change comes after a somewhat controversial bill made its way through the legislature, where debates included whether there is biblical support for drinking wine.

The bill's passage is to the chagrin of opponents who argued the Bible does not support drinking alcohol and others who called the measure an affront to the state's Southern culture.

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But it's a victory for the bill's leading sponsor, Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, who also carried the previously passed measure to allow wine in grocery stores.

Tennessee is the 42nd state to allow seven-day sales of liquor and wine.

Deciding whether to open

Meanwhile, stores are scrambling to decide whether to open this Sunday.

Cool Springs Wines & Spirits is planning to open on Sundays starting in a couple weeks, said wine and liquor manager Jeff Warzynski.

“It happened so fast, we didn’t really have a chance to plan for it,” Warzynski said. “We don’t really know what to expect, to tell you the truth. It could increase business, but it also could just spread it out.”

Unsurprisingly, Fridays and Saturdays have been the store’s busiest days, he said.

Not every liquor store operator is looking forward to the change.

“I think our people need a rest. They don’t need to be working seven days a week,” said Charles Sonnenberg, owner of Frugal MacDoogal Wine & Liquor Warehouse in Nashville.

He’s skeptical that the new law will help generate more sales for liquor stores, but indicated that independent stores will need to be open regardless to compete.

“If we can get it organized, we’ll be open this Sunday — otherwise, the next,” Sonnenberg said.

Owners and managers of some Knoxville-area liquor stores are also not happy about the prospect of selling on Sunday, but said they do expect to be open seven days.

“I think all it’s really going to do is expand our sales over a three-day weekend instead of two,” said Terrance Pate, general manager of Cedar Bluff Wines and Spirits.

East End Liquor & Wine Shoppe in Knoxville will be open this Sunday, but just while owner Carl Daugherty is there. He’s not scheduling any employees for the day, and expects future Sunday hours will be limited.

“We’ve got a lot of students that work here, so they need little bit of a break so they can spend that time with their families,” Daugherty said.

Waiting until July to 'psychologically prepare'

In Memphis, some liquor stores were adjusting work schedules and deciding when to begin opening. One owner said he'll wait until July.

“We’re making the personal decision to wait until July to open,'' said Britton Long, assistant manager of Buster's Liquors & Wines in East Memphis. The wait allows the store's 43 employees to "psychologically prepare'' for working on Sundays, he said.

"A lot of us have been working here two or three years plus. (Sundays) have always been a nice anchor day, a little bit of stability for our work schedule. So (the wait) is just to get us prepared,'' Long said.

Others will open on Sundays with limited hours as a test. The law permits them to open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.

Luke Gordin, co-owner of Caesar’s Wine and Liquor in Arlington, Tenn., was philosophical about the prospect of working on Sunday, starting this weekend.

“For us, it’s retail business. If you’re closed you can’t make any money. If you’re going to be retail, you might as well be retail,” Gordin said. “Stores have been open holidays and weekends forever.”

Details on Sunday sales

In addition to the Sunday sales, the new law has several other provisions.

Here's the breakdown:

Liquor stores can start selling wine and liquor this Sunday from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m.

Liquor stores can't sell wine and liquor on Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter.

The new law requires liquor stores to mark up spirits by 10 percent and wine by 20 percent.

The first Sunday grocery stores can sell wine is Jan. 6, from 10. a.m. to 11 p.m., but they may sell wine on any holiday.

No additional liquor store licenses will be issued in jurisdictions that have issued licenses prior to April 1 or to applicants who have filed after April 19, until July 1, 2021.

Jim Gaines, Tom Bailey and Wayne Risher contributed to this report.

Reach Reporter Jordan Buie can be reached at 615-726-5970 or by email at jbuie@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter @jordanbuie.

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