Chris Fine, executive director of the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association, said his group estimates that one in every four or maybe even one in every three of Colorado’s approximately 1,600 independent liquor stores could close as a result of the legislation and ballot issue. That would mean 400 to 600 shuttered retailers.
Few shots are ever heard at the busy northwest Longmont intersection of Hover Street and 17th Avenue. And yet it's a battlefield in a larger statewide war.
Liquor stores at a crossroads – BizWest bizwest.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bizwest.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Higher prices, shifting laws and evolving consumer tastes have mixed to create a challenging climate for breweries, bars and liquor stores, Northern Colorado industry leaders said Tuesday at a BizWest CEO Roundtable on brewing held in the downtown Fort Collins offices of Elevations Credit Union.