With Newton City Commission poised to start allowing Sunday sales, sellers of spirits in nearby communities figure they’ll lose some business.
Steve Rizza, owner of Rizza Retail Liquor in Halstead, said he was certain he would lose some business but not enough to discontinue being open on Sundays.
“I wondered about that because Newton is apparently contemplating it,” he said. “I would say 30 to 40 percent are outside my usual customer base, and that’s just a rough estimate. I certainly see faces I’ve never seen before on Sunday.”
Rizza said some of those who drove over to Halstead to buy alcohol on Sunday might continue doing so. He’s been open on Sundays since the beginning of the year, and he said opening on Sundays had been worth it.
“People kind of look at it to go for a drive on Sunday, so I might see some the same people,” he said.
At a previous city commission meeting, Newton Assistant City Manager Kelly McElroy provide an estimate that Newton residents spent $2.7 million on Sunday alcohol purchases a year.
In Walton, six miles from Newton, Hilltop Convenient Store owner Twila Van Russum said beer has been flying off the shelves.
“Sunday has always been our biggest day, but our sales have picked up, too, because of the beer change,” Van Rossum said.
(Read more: Newton Now)