SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a package of legislation on Saturday aimed at modernizing New York’s alcoholic beverage laws. Among the changes, liquor and wine stores can now expand their hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
The new law was made to expand options for consumers and support small businesses, Hochul said in a written statement. But one local liquor store won’t be changing its Sunday hours.
“Anybody that does is stupid,” said Anthony Piraino, owner of Piraino’s Liquor. “Because it’s a waste of time. Nobody goes out at 10 o’clock on Sunday. Everybody is home and ready to go to work the next day.”
Other alcohol-related changes are still on the table, including a popular one: wine in grocery stores, a concept that many New Yorkers are pushing for.
“I think it’s a good law,” Syracuse resident John Holbrook said. “So much of the East Coast has it, so why not here?”
Wine in grocery stores, however, isn’t something that liquor and wine stores want to see, with concerns that it would drive away customers from their small businesses.
“It’s all about big business,” Piraino said. “They don’t want the small guy anymore.”
As for the legislation that passed, other changes allow for the retail sale of beer on Sundays, and extends the length a Brewer’s license is valid from one to three years.