This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Wednesday morning, I walked into the Foothill liquor store just before noon to be greeted by a couple of guys with a question: Who's better, Billy Joel or The Beatles?
It really wasn't any contest, particularly when you consider "Revolver." Beatles, I said, and one of the guys pumped his fist.
That's the kind of neighborhood liquor store where people recognized you when you come in. It's also a store that, despite an ill-considered legislative scheme, has escaped being shut down — at least until next February.
In a series of miscalculations and at the cost of considerable public good will, the Legislature's budget committee left the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control little choice but to close nine stores and shorten hours at others.
But after post-general session negotiations, Gov. Gary Herbert and legislative leaders came up with $1.4 million to keep all but three stores open and dozens of people on the job. The word went out to the employees Tuesday afternoon.
"We were just excited about not losing our jobs, there's nothing more to it," said Steve Boogert, the self-described guy in charge at the Foothill store. "We've been on the chopping block, then taken off, then put back on, and taken off."
The store has six employees, three full-time, three part-time. It's a tidy little shop where a woman can walk in, say "happy birthday, big guy" to Steve and grab a couple of beers.
It's much like that at the Avenues store, managed by Kevin Hagberg and his assistant manager, Ryan Hill, and which enjoys a devoted clientele. They and customers at all the imperiled stores were the ones who bombarded legislators with emails and phone calls to save their stores.
Kevin and Ryan were part-timers before they stepped up to management. Ryan takes a particular interest in wine, and has taken classes, consulted wine educators throughout the state and toured California's Napa Valley and its wineries. At work, he helps patrons with wine pairings and offers advice on how to use wine in cooking.
That's what you get from the pros at Utah liquor stores; last December, Steve helped me select the right tequila for a friend's La Posada party.
As for the people on Capitol Hill, it's not hard to understand why they continually target a legal, regulated and profitable enterprise — it's beer, wine and booze, which most of the people up there have never even tasted.
Now, because liquor control board chairman Sam Granato objected to the shut-downs and refused to close liquor license hearings, new legislation will now have the governor appoint future chairpersons — with the consent of legislative leadership. Under last-minute legislation, all liquor license hearings will be closed starting in July.
Never mind that liquor sales generate more than $100 million for school lunches and state and local entities. Had all the targeted sites been closed, Utah would have squandered millions in annual profit.
It's well past time to put Utah liquor sales in private hands and out of the reach of politicians. Give guys like Steve, Kevin and Ryan, and all the good people who work in state stores, a shot at making a decent living unencumbered by legislative disdain and threats of joblessness.
Peg McEntee is a news columnist. Reach her at pegmcentee@sltrib.com.