Micky Finn's Owner Rick Havekost Speaks Out Over Outdated SC Sunday Liquor Sales Laws

For decades, South Carolinians have grumbled to themselves about their State’s outdated alcohol laws. From Sunday alcohol sales to approval of new products, South Carolina has a reputation for being one of the strictest states in the country when it comes to alcohol.

It’s true, South Carolina has come a long way in the last two decades. From the state where even hardware stores and pharmacies were not allowed to open on Sunday, South Carolina has slowly chipped away at its notorious “blue laws” that many have long argued are unreasonable and even unconstitutional.

Public opinion is finally starting to reach critical mass in the Palmetto state. Retail stores can now open on Sunday. Restaurants that serve alcohol can now serve on Sundays. In many cities and counties where voters have been given the choice, they have overwhelmingly voted to allow Sunday sales of beer and wine.

But South Carolina is still stuck in its ways over Sunday liquor sales. What’s more, the state doesn’t want to budge, despite the opinion of the majority of South Carolinians.

This is why Rick Havekost, owner of Micky Finn’s, is now speaking out publicly against these outdated laws.

In a recent op-ed for the Post and Courier on April 15, entitled “My Business Can’t Grow Because Of Outdated SC Law,” Havekost wrote,

Looking at my liquor store, Micky Finn’s One Stop Party Shop – which has been a local South Carolina business since 1998, has three locations and won numerous awards including Retailer of the Year – you wouldn’t think we would have an issue with growth. But we consistently reach a ceiling we can’t break: Due to a Prohibition-era law in South Carolina, my business is banned from opening on Sundays.

Last year, Micky Finn’s opened its third location in Florence County off Interstate 95. Because this exit is frequented by beach-goers and tourists, Sundays are the busiest day of the week here – for my gas station neighbor who is allowed to open. Now let’s talk numbers. The gas station Micky Finn’s sits next to made $1.7 million one Sunday. If my small business got only 1% of my neighbors’ patrons, I could have made hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single day. Every week, I have to watch my business lose out.

The tourists passing through Florence County aren’t going to not buy liquor that day because my store was closed. Instead, they’re going to keep driving across state lines and give that business to one of our neighboring states.

This lost revenue is low hanging fruit for our state. Out-of-state travelers would be contributing plenty to our state and local governments through sales taxes every week. According to a recent Mountain View Economics study, lifting the Sunday sales ban could have a potential $2 million economic impact – that’s $20 million over the next decade – that we could be using to make positive changes in our local communities.

Every week, South Carolina loses out.

In his article, Havekost goes on to point out the obstinance of the South Carolina state government regarding the question of Sunday liquor sales. Havekost writes, "County referendums have been held for over 20 years that let voters decide if beer and wine can be sold on Sundays. But oddly, South Carolina still bans citizens from voting on whether liquor stores can open on Sundays in each county."

“It’s time for South Carolina to let business owners decide when we can open (and close) our stores,” Havekost says. “I urge state lawmakers to support legislation this year that lets the people vote on this issue.”

If you're interested in learning more about the nuances of the South Carolina Sunday Alcohol sales debate, I encourage you to listen to the No Stop Lights podcast where host Ken Ard interviews Rick Havekost about his life and the liquor business. 

So what’s the reasoning behind this outdated alcohol policy? Is the ghost of Prohibition still haunting South Carolina? Does any reasonable person actually believe these laws prevent anyone from drinking on Sundays? Certainly not.

But even if they did, so what? The most important question is “what gives the State the right to determine that South Carolinians should not have the right to purchase liquor based upon the reasoning of those who see alcohol, particularly that purchased or consumed on Sundays, as a form of sin?” No one is seeking to force anyone to purchase alcohol and they shouldn’t be able to. Likewise, no one should be able to force those who wish to purchase  it to abstain.

While South Carolina is shooting itself in the foot financially, this is not primarily a question of accounting. This is fundamentally a question of freedom.

South Carolina is at a crossroads. It has become one of the fastest growing states because South Carolina offers a level of affordability and freedom that many other states do not. Indeed, at both a business and a governmental level, the state has advertised itself as such.

“We’re not like the other states,” South Carolina says. “We don’t tell people how to live their lives.”

Except, in this case, that’s exactly what we do.

Read the blog on Micky Finn's here: https://www.mickyfinns.com/blog/post/4574