St. Paul wine shop staying closed despite start of Sunday sales

ST. PAUL (KMSP) - Sunday marks Minnesota’s historic start of Sunday liquor sales, but not all stores are joining in.

Solo Vino in St. Paul will be one of the few stores in the state that will stay closed on Sunday. While the store’s name may mean “just wine,” family comes first - especially on Sundays.

“For us, it's a family day,” said Chuck Kanski, Solo Vino owner. “I have a 16-month-old, so it's kind of fun hanging out with her and my wife Kim, so that's what we're going to be doing on Sundays.”

Kanski said he likes that liquor stores now have the option to sell on Sundays, but for him, the dollars and cents just didn't add up.

“Would have cost us approximately about $15,000 on labor, and if you do the math on what we would need to sell to receive that kind of profit, it really didn't make sense,” he said.

Leaders of the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association said nearly all its members will be open for the first Sunday of liquor sales.

Instead of worrying about the competition, Solo Vino's focus is on relationships.

“So when we see our guests, we spend a lot of time with them and we walk through and curate their picks,” said Kanski.

Customers said it’s an experience they'll keep coming back for, even if it means waiting a day.

“You really feel like you’re part of it,” said Paul Sairio, a customer. “It feels very much that this is part of the community.”

Kanski says he’s not ruling out opening up on Sundays. For example, the store might open for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, which both land on Sundays this year.