Chances that Minnesota liquor stores will be allowed to open Sundays are fading, but state leaders may be chipping away at related liquor laws.

Sen. Roger Reinert, D-Duluth, said Monday the chances for overturning the Sunday sales ban this legislative session are dim.

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“Anything is possible, but at this point I would guess I’m pessimistic about a full repeal happening this session,” he said. “We’re (at) second deadline and it hasn’t had a hearing in either the House or the Senate.”

Though it’s not a strategy he advocates, he said he expects there will be efforts in both bodies to get full repeal adopted on the floor.

“I’m certain it will come up in both the House and Senate as an amendment,” Reinert said.

Reinert has been one of the prime supporters of Sunday sales, saying that he sees too many of his fellow Duluth residents going to Wisconsin to buy booze on Sundays. But Sunday liquor sales legislation has been a tough sell among many legislators for years.

Liquor store owners are split on the subject.

Although shops in the Moorhead area maybe more inclined to embrace the change due to competition with Fargo facilities, the largest stores in the Detroit Lakes area are against it.

Managers at Lakes Liquor in Detroit Lakes say they believe all that would happen is that liquor sales would be spread out over seven days. They wouldn’t expect an increase in sales, just an increase in overhead.

Owners at Lakes Corner Liquors at Four Corners have expressed the same view, as does Seven Sisters General Manager Steve Larson, who says while he does not speak for the owners of the store, he and other employees there would like to see the law stay the same as it is.

“But having said that, if the law does change, we will be open on Sundays,” said Larson. “I was in North Dakota when it changed there, and we didn’t like it, but we did it.”

Some say they would welcome having another day to conduct business, adding that no store would be required to be open.

However, others worry that competition would force them to open Sundays.

Since Lakes Liquors is a municipal that’s owned by the city of Detroit Lakes, managers there say it would be up to the city to decide whether or not they wanted the store open on Sunday.

Meanwhile, other liquor laws in Minnesota do seem to be pushing forward.

Minnesota House and Senate committees are looking at legislation to do things such as allowing bloody Mary drinks to be sold at 8 a.m. Sundays instead of the current 10 a.m., as well as allowing beer-filled growlers to be sold on Sundays.

The Sunday sale of growlers, refillable containers for beer, would help small breweries, supporters say.

Detroit Lakes will have only one business affected by this possible change - Lakeside Tavern, which is building a brewery onto its tavern.

Although this possible change would allow Lakeside to sell its to-go brew on Sundays, owner Chet Collins says he will not allow his business to compete with the municipal.

“If the municipal isn’t open on Sundays, then I won’t sell growlers on Sundays either,” said Collins. “Even if the state says I can, I’ll go by the city law.”

Collins says although he can certainly see how those Sunday growlers would really help Minnesota brew pubs, he’ll still have the restaurant side of his business to help make up for that. It’s a luxury not all brew pubs have.

Sarah Kazajeca of Canal Park Brewery in Duluth said that too many of her customers leave disappointed because they cannot have growers filled on Sundays.

“They are hoping to have a growler of beer to take home to their friends,” she said. Current law is “a big impediment to business,” she added.

Weekend growler sales are important, she said, as shown by the fact that her business may sell 25 on Tuesdays, but up to 150 on Saturdays.

Microbrew owners said there is not a big profit in many of the businesses.

“The brewing business is exploding, but ... these breweries need help,” said Tom Whisenand of Minneapolis’ Indeed Brewing.

Growler bills and other liquor legislation have received initial committee approval and are being considered for overall liquor bills that should be produced in the next few days.

Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, was joined by other senators Monday when he continued to push for a provision that would allow whiskey distillers to sell sample bottles of products at their plants.

“This small bottle represents Minnesota,” Andrian Panther of 4-year-old Panther Distillery in Osakis said.

Panther said most micro-distillers use locally grown products such as corn, wheat and rye. Panther also uses Minnesota-made barrels.

Most of the distiller legislation allows only one bottle to be sold per person per day.

“We have Minnesota producers who have faced barriers...” Sen. Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhassen, said. “We want to encourage these Minnesota producers to compete and be a success.”

Supporters said they are not trying to compete against stores, but want to be able to offer their products to people who visit their production facilities.

St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter Doug Belden contributed to this story. The Pioneer Press is a media partner of Forum News Service.

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