How are liquor stores faring since Coloradans can now pick up wine with their milk and eggs? (CPR)
By Sarah Mulholland
November 20, 2023
On a recent Friday evening at Mondo Vino, a liquor store on West 32nd Ave. in Denver’s West Highlands neighborhood, there was a wine tasting going on in the back of the store. It’s the reason Julia Ward is there. She lives nearby.
“It is my local watering hole, I would say in a way,” Ward said while sipping on a glass of Italian red. “I try to come either Friday or Saturday, try some new wine, try not to walk out with too many bottles.”
There was a steady flow of customers by 6 p.m. Many have their dogs in tow, because, like at any good local spot in Colorado, dogs are welcome.
“Everyone here is so lovely. It’s has a little neighborhood vibe,” Ward said.
It seemed reasonably busy, but according to owner Dewey Kratzer, it’s not as busy as it used to be.
“Foot traffic’s dow. The daytime and the weekdays are a slower,” Kratzer said.
The culprit is supermarkets according to Kratzer.
Colorado voters narrowly passed Proposition 125 in November 2022, which expanded grocery store liquor licenses to include wine. They already were allowed to sell full-strength beer starting in 2019. Grocery chains and big box stores like Walmart across the state started stocking wine on March 1, 2023.