By Scott Elpers

Once again, local liquor stores and grocery stores could see a change in laws regarding the sales of liquor, wine and full-strength beer.

Currently only liquor stores are allowed sell anything above beer with an alcohol content of 3.2 percent and wine coolers, but some grocery store owners are pushing for an expanded sales bill for the fourth straight year as the Kansas legislators continue through their current session.

Clearwater, Garden Plain and Cheney all have a liquor store and Goddard has two with the addition of Auburn Hills Wine and Spirits late last year. Only two of those communities – Cheney and Clearwater – also have grocery stores.

Goddard lost its grocery store last March, but the Kwik Shop on U.S. Highway 54 is currently expanding to include more grocery items and a new Walmart Supercenter is also slated to open in Goddard by 2013.

Jim McGuffy, owner of Jim’s Foodliner in Cheney said a law allowing liquor sales in convenience and grocery stores will give an advantage to larger chain stores like Walmart, Dillons, QuickTrip and Target, but it could also help out smaller grocery stores like his.

“It will level the playing field,” McGuffy said. “(The current law) gives liquor stores a distinct advantage being able to sell full-strength beer and liquor.”

McGuffy currently sells 3.2 beer at his grocery store, but would like to move up to full-strength beer if the law went into effect. He also said he has no desire or the space to sell hard liquor.

Steve Peterson, owner of Auburn Hills Wine and Spirits, said a proposed bill allowing liquor sales at grocery and convenience stores will hurt many family-owned liquor stores in the state.

“It’s not going to create jobs,” said Peterson, who’s been in the business for more than 20 years as a beer distributor and liquor store owner. “It’s will benefit the big stores, like the QuickTrips and Walmarts. The smaller family-owned stores around the state will suffer.”

Clearwater, the only other community in the area to have both a liquor and grocery store.