St. Paul liquor stores soon will be able to sell alcohol until 10 p.m. six nights per week.

The city’s liquor stores long have been required to close up shop by 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

It’s a rule city officials found out of step with 15 neighboring municipalities. Those cities allow store owners to remain open until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The St. Paul aberration will soon join the scrap heap of outdated regulations.

This man just extended liquor store hours in St. Paul to 10 pm, six nights a week. No joke. #ChrisTolbert pic.twitter.com/ZUojKMoao1 — FredMelo, Reporter (@FrederickMelo) October 12, 2016

On Wednesday, the St. Paul City Council voted 5-0 to ditch the unpopular early-closing requirement and amend city ordinances to allow for the later closing time. The regulations take effect in 30 days.

“My office tossed out this idea (and) got a fair amount of responses, generally supportive,” said St. Paul City Council Member Chris Tolbert, Ward 3. Tolbert spearheaded the change based on the research of his legislative aide, Libby Kantner.

The proposal met with opposition from a handful of mom-and-pop retailers, worried about the additional expense of adding night staffing.

But an overwhelming number of letters and emails to city offices, however, supported the change.

Jerry Blakey, owner of Lowertown Wine and Spirits, said he plans to extend his operating hours until 10 p.m. on Thursdays when the new rules go into effect.

Should the longer hours on Thursday prove successful, Blakey said he plans to hire more employees and push his operating hours to 10 p.m. six days a week. He has six employees.

“We get people that knock on the door at 8:01 p.m.” Blakey said. “When you have to send customers to Minneapolis, it’s not a good thing.”

Nearby, Jeff Huff, owner of Revival Wine Beer and Spirits in the skyway level of the Pioneer Endicott Building, said he wasn’t sure what changes he will make.

“I’m open until 9 o’clock on Fridays and Saturdays,” said Huff, who has three employees. “I could see opening at least until 9 on the other days.”

Tolbert emphasized that the ordinance does not require shops to stay open any later than they choose.

“This just gives the option for liquor stores to stay open to 10 p.m.,” Tolbert said.

The new rule also will extend to growler sales at beer breweries.

Brewers have complained that even though they serve beer until 10 p.m., the city’s off-sale requirements had forced them to stop filling take-home growlers two hours earlier, confusing and irritating patrons.

As a result of Wednesday’s vote, St. Paul tap rooms will now be able to sell growlers until 10 p.m.

Council Member Amy Brendmoen, Ward 5, said Minneapolis and other neighboring cities have allowed 10 p.m. closings for years.

“As a person who represents a ward that borders Roseville, it makes perfect sense that our law (mirrors theirs),” Brendmoen said.