Sunday wine, mixed beverage sales on ballot

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SIDNEY — Sunday sales of wine and mixed beverages will be up for consideration for Sidney registers voters of precinct seven on the Tuesday, May 8, primary election ballot.

Currently only the sale of beer is permitted in precinct seven on Sunday.

Bringing forth the local liquor option for 2nd Ward-D/precinct seven on the ballot, has been in the works for about a year said Rocco Catanzarite, general manager and one of the owners of the Karoc Marathon gas station on Hoewisher Road.

Although Marathon’s owners pursued Sunday sales to be on the ballot, if passed by voters, all businesses located within precinct seven will be able to sell wine and mixed beverages up to 42 proof (or 21 percent alcohol) on Sundays.

“In Clinton Township, there is no Sunday sales of wine and liquor. It’s a big revenue stream; wine and spirits, especially when a holiday falls on a Sunday, like last year. Like New Years Eve was on a Sunday; Christmas Eve was on a Sunday. You sell a lot of wine and Champagne,” Catanzarite said.

Potential sales dictated the move, Catanzarite said.

“If you are selling $500 worth of wine a week, one day is not the end of the world. When you are selling a few thousand dollars worth of wine a week, one day is a big deal. I feel that we are missing out on a fairly large revenue number,” he said.

In order to get the liquor option on the ballot, Catanzarite said they had to get 50 percent of Clinton Township voter’s signatures. He said they went door-to-door to collect the signatures. Most people have been supportive of their effort to bring the issue to the ballot.

“A lot of our customers live close by, and they all know (we cannot sell wine on Sunday) because they have brought a bottle of wine up on a Sunday, and we have to turn it down,” Catanzarite said when pointing to Marathon’s stock of about 250 bottles of low-end to high-end wines.

Then after collecting roughly 250 signatures on the petition, Catanzarite said the Shelby County Board of Elections verified that 50 percent of the voters were OK with putting the liquor option on the ballot.

“Our regulars were really good about passing the word around and signing the petition,” he said when asked about feedback they received about their quest. “(Customers) are definitely excited and hope it goes through.”

“If you vote for the it, you would be supporting a mom and pop, small business. And we are locally owned and operated,” Catanzarite said. “And a convenient store is supposed to be convenient. It’s grab and go rather than fighting with a bunch of people in a supermarket.”

http://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2018/05/election-logo_horiz_GPrev-1.pdf
Precinct seven votes on local liquor option

By Sheryl Roadcap

[email protected]

Reach the writer at 937-538-4823.

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