âIt was extremely busy from the very beginning,â Erickson said. âIt was definitely unique.â
This time last year, when bars and restaurants had closed their doors to help curb the spread of the new virus, business at liquor stores boomed.
At Westside Wine and Spirits, where Erickson works, business increased by 55% â a record for the store.
âWe really started to see a big influx in April of last year,â he said. âWe had a lot of people with seasonal homes here that arenât typically here this time of year. Plus all the restaurants and bars were closed so if you wanted a drink you were going to liquor stores.â