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Business & Tech

Alpharetta, Milton Liquor Stores Experienced Excitement, Uncertainty on Sunday

The community response was mixed on Sunday when stores opened up for the first time since the Sunday Alcohol Sales referendum passed in the two cities.

Liquor retailers weren’t sure what to expect on Sunday, when their stores would be open for business at 12:30 p.m. And while some Alpharetta-Milton sellers were pleasantly surprised by the amount of costumers, other stores were left unimpressed.

on Hwy. 9, owned by Madhu Nanda, was nearly empty on Sunday according to Nanda.

“There were a few costumers who made it a point to come in and support me,” Nanda said. “But we didn’t have high sales. People aren’t going to start drinking double suddenly, they’ll drink the same amount.”

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Nanda’s store is located in a residential area and he thinks that also might have something to do with the low frequency of Sunday costumers.

, located on South Main Street, was quite busy on Sunday, however. Store manager said it was even busier than he had expected.

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“The people coming into the store on Sunday were acting like it was Christmas. We had cars waiting outside the doors before we were even open,” he said.

But Wicks does not think this excitement will last much longer.

Gary Reckers, owner of , which is located further down Hwy. 9, shared the same sentiment at Wicks.

“It was OK on Sunday,” Reckers said. “But I just think being open [on Sundays] will spread out six days of sales over seven days.”

Reckers has been fighting against the selling of alcohol of Sundays for the last seven years. He thinks it will be nothing but a burden on retail stores like his.

Edwin Magyer, the owner of on the Forsyth side of Hwy. 9, disagrees. Magyer said he thinks the luster of buying alcohol on Sundays won’t die out quite so fast as everyone thinks.

“People’s attitudes were what was really fun about Sunday,” Magyer said. “Costumers were walking through the doors cheering. Even people that didn’t need anything but just wanted to come in because they could. It was a really festive atmosphere.  And it was such a broad mix of people. This came at a great time with the holidays coming up, as well. But really it was like a party in here.”

Magyer does have the advantage of being near Forsyth where the sale of alcohol on Sundays is not yet permitted. While many consequences remain uncertain for now, the only thing all these stores can agree on is they will all be open again this coming Sunday.

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