JoAnn Hyatt, owner of Wells Discount Liquors, said her family-run business has been around for 88 years, and she hopes the store will continue to serve the local community for much longer.
Hyatt was joined by several other owners of local liquor stores who are opposed to Gov. Wes Moore’s support for 2025 legislation that would allow Maryland grocery stores to sell beer and wine.
The small-business owners fear the proposal will put many of them out of business. Hyatt criticized Moore for not reaching out to small business owners to get a sense of how this legislation will impact their livelihood.
Maryland is one of three states, along with Rhode Island and Alaska, that prohibits the sale of beer in its grocery stores and one of 10 that does not allow the sale of wine, according to Moore.
“We are very disappointed in Gov. Moore,” Hyatt said at a press conference at Wells on York Road near the Baltimore County/City line. “He is supporting big-box stores, and all their headquarters are located out of state. I also believe this will not increase taxes for the state of Maryland. There will be many store closings because of this and many unemployed people. Small stores can’t compete with large-quantity discounts these box stores will be able to do.”