Hazel’s Beverage World, located at the southwest corner of 28th and Pearl, has long been Boulder’s premier destination for alcoholic drinks of all kinds. This fall, Hazel’s is expanding its inventory to offer more specialty foods, grocery essentials and non-alcoholic beverages.
This shift is a creative response to a major change in Colorado’s adult beverage industry. In November 2022, Coloradans voted — by only 1% — to pass Proposition 125, which allowed grocery stores to start selling wine and higher-proof beer. Colorado had long relegated the sale of these controlled products to specific, licensed retailers, but suddenly eye-catching wine displays were popping up right near the entrances and exits of Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Costco. The state’s number of alcohol retailers skyrocketed overnight.
While this change streamlined errands for consumers who no longer had to stop by a liquor store and grocery store before making dinner, it dealt a major blow to independent beverage retailers and mom-and-pop stores…