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Holiday rush at Longmont liquor stores no match for COVID sales spike

New realities are hitting the wine and spirits industry in 2020. Sales are up at stores across the local area but trends are unpredictable and many distributors have experienced shortages. While holidays typically bring a boost in sales, the transactions now occur over a number of days instead of one or two.
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Customers shop at Hover Crossing Wine and Spirits in northwest Longmont on Tuesday. (Photo by Matt Hagerman)

In between holiday rushes on Tuesday, Tracy Webb and manager Stephanie Swift took a break in the back of Hover Crossing Wine and Spirits. The day before Thanksgiving often turns out to be the highest sales day of the year at liquor stores across America, but they both doubted Wednesday would be able to top the evening of March 23.

That afternoon, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, during a news conference announcing new COVID-19 restrictions, declared liquor stores and marijuana dispensaries non-essential businesses. Panic not only spread through Denver but into the surrounding communities as people feared their local sources for libations might be forced to shut down. Hancock reversed course less than three hours later, but it took days for the public to fully realize alcohol and marijuana sales would not be discontinued. 

“It became extremely busy,” recalled Swift, who has been at Hover Crossing for seven years. “Lines that we don’t normally see unless it is actually Thanksgiving. We did close to daily sales in about two hours that day. It was lines, down the road, of cars. People in the store. As an employee I just kept telling everybody to relax. I’m like, ‘This is not going to last. Take deep breaths. It’s OK. You don’t have to fight over beer.’ 

“It was way more confusion and chaos than I’ve ever seen in my entire time working here.”

Webb said, “People who usually bought one six-pack, they bought two cases. If they bought a bottle of wine, they bought five or six or a case of wine, or box wine. They did that for a while.” 

Webb began working at Hover Crossing after the barbecue restaurant he ran with his wife, The Rib House, closed in January after 19 years in Longmont. The pandemic ended any hopes of reopening.

New realities are hitting the wine and spirits industry in 2020. Sales are up at stores across the local area but trends are unpredictable and many distributors have experienced shortages. While holidays typically bring a boost in sales, the transactions now occur over a number of days instead of one or two.

“With people being home more often, in isolation almost, they are drinking a little bit more,” Swift said. “You see that trend, but we’ve met a lot of great new customers. We have a lot of steady older customers that have been here. Overall our customers have been in a great mood.”

That increased traffic is not unique to Hover Crossing Wine and Spirits — it is being seen across the city and the country.

USAToday last month, citing a report published in the JAMA Network Open, reported alcohol consumption had increased by 14% compared with a year ago, including 17% for women.

Wyatt's Wet Goods, the largest store of it’s kind in Longmont, has seen its delivery and carryout service explode. It recently added a second delivery vehicle to keep up with demand.

At Three Rivers Wine and Spirits, John Tompkins has worked for four owners over 16 years at the same location. But nothing could have prepared him for 2020.

“It’s been hard to get a lot of beers,” said Tompkins, the brands manager. “There’s a 12-ounce can shortage. It’s kind of been touch and go. We probably could have made more money had our shelves had been full all this time. It’s really the first week of Thanksgiving that I have no idea what to expect. Are we going to get really busy today? Are we going to be super busy tomorrow? Or is everybody staying out of the public for the next couple of days? Just as much as anyone else, I’m a little lost in the world right now.”