Stores in Fredericton are one step closer to setting their own hours for Sunday shopping after council-in-committee narrowly voted earlier this week to amend the bylaw.

The proposed amendment will now go to city council for debate.

Stores in the capital city are currently only allowed to open between noon and 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Florence Hansen, who owns Geek Chic on Regent Street, would like to extend her hours.

She said many local residents can only shop downtown on Saturdays and Sundays and tourists expect stores to be open so they can shop.

"When it comes to generating revenue and running a business, it's hard when there is government interference," said Hansen. "Even if they allowed me to extend my hours, I may not extend it all the time, but it's just nice to have the choice."

"And it's really hard, there are sometimes especially during the summer, we have to close at 5 p.m., but there are still people in our store, so we have to turn those people away. If they are visitors from out of town, those are lost sales."

Extended hours would also give her employees extra hours, said Hansen.

But if some stores end up extending their Sunday hours, Sarah Stewart, who runs The Beadnik store on the north side, says she will be forced to open.

As it stands, Stewart doesn't open at all on Sundays. She says she already works six days a week and it's important to have that day off to spend with her family.

Stewart doesn't believe being closed hurts her business because noon to 5 p.m. is such a short period. But if some stores change their hours to 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., for example, she feels she'll have to open in order to compete.

She also believes that allowing businesses to choose their own hours could confuse consumers.

"When you only have those limited hours, people know when shops are open, but if you open it up beyond 12 and 5, then people are going to be driving around town, 'Oh, shoot, that place is closed. This one's open. Oh, no, this one's closed.' It's going to make a bit of a mess," said Stewart.

Majority in favour, survey suggests

A proposal to amend Fredericton's Sunday shopping bylaw will now go to city council for debate. (CBC)

The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce contends the majority of businesses in the city want the choice on when they can open their doors on Sundays.

Of the 70 retail members surveyed, 65 per cent of respondents supported individual businesses being able to pick what hours they were open on Sundays, according to the business group.

However, 21 per cent of respondents in the unscientific poll did not want the hours to change, while 14 per cent wanted Sunday shopping eliminated.

Retailers in Fredericton have called on the city to update its Sunday shopping bylaw in the past.

The contentious debate over Sunday shopping was reopened when the Retail Council of Canada announced it wanted both the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island governments to throw out rules restricting retail business hours on Sundays.

Bathurst retailers are now able to choose their own Sunday hours of operation after city council rescinded its Sunday shopping bylaw last month.