Tennessee Senate OKs Sunday Liquor Sales, Clearing The Way For Stores To Open This Summer

Liquor stores in Tennessee will soon be allowed to open on Sundays, under a measure heading to Gov. Bill Haslam.

The state Senate voted narrowly Wednesday morning to approve a plan that will allow liquor stores to be open all but three days a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. The measure will also let grocery stores sell wine on Sundays, starting next January.

State Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, says the legislation reflects discussions that began all the way back to 2014, when state lawmakers authorized grocery stores to sell wine.

“Since we passed wine in grocery stores, we’ve had a lot of retailers say, ‘I want the opportunity to be open on Sunday. I want to be able to sell my product. As an independent businessman, I want to be able to sell my product.'”

The measure also includes provisions meant to benefit liquor store owners, which under Tennessee law are required to be locally owned. Those include a mandatory 10 percent markup on liquor.

The legislation goes into effect as soon as it’s signed by the governor. A spokeswoman for Haslam says he has not yet reviewed it but intends to approve it.