'Four Firkins Bill' Will Have to Wait Until Next Year

The push to allow Minnesota liquor stores to sell store-branded merchandise, which has been championed by a St. Louis Park business owner, came up short this legislative session.

"The Four Firkins bill" was not a part of the final liquor omnibus bill that passed in the House Thursday afternoon. Jason Alvey, owner of St. Louis Park craft beer store , said he was disappointed to see a bill that he worked so hard to get rolling not receive the support it needed.

"It's very disappointing to see that people in such positions of power can completely misunderstand the issue at hand," Alvey said.

The beer store owner brought the proposal to Sen. Ron Latz and Rep. Steve Simon earlier this year, and the St. Louis Park legislators authored bills in their respective chambers. The bill passed as part of the House's omnibus plan but wasn't in the Senate's, so a conference committee was called to resolve the difference. That committee kept the merchandise legislation out.

Opposition to the proposal has largely come from the Minnesota Grocers Association. Jamie Pfuhl, the association’s president, wrote in a letter to the Senate commerce committee that it would be unfair to allow liquor stores to sell merchandise while grocery stores are limited in the alcohol they can sell.

“This bill creates a slippery slope," Pfuhl added, "that turns liquor stores into general merchandise stores without offering anyone the ability to expand into liquor retailing.”

Simon said he disagreed with this assessment.

"Our provision is meant to unshackle liquor store owners from a strange and unnecessary restriction," the legislator said in an email. "The bill is a reasonable expansion of free market principles in support of small businesses."

Several representatives apologized to Simon on the House floor Thursday for not getting the provision included in the omnibus bill, adding that the House was supportive of the bill from the beginning. 

"I'm very disappointed," Simon said, "(but) the good news is that I've been assured that or chances will be much better next year."

Alvey said one of the criticisms of the bill he heard along the way was that it only pertains to one business. He said he will work between now and the beginning of the 2012 legislative session to show that this isn't true.

"Next time, we'll bring an armada of liquor stores," Alvey said.