Harlem and the Bronx are dotted with small, independent grocery stores. These businesses are community anchors that offer accessible, affordable groceries; steady jobs for residents; and friendly, communal spaces. They are often immigrant-owned, family-run stores whose staff know their customers by name.
These neighborhood supermarkets and independent grocers show up for our communities every single day, but keeping them open and running has grown harder in the Trump era. Federal tariffs have cut into already small margins, and federal rollback of SNAP benefits has thrown a core revenue channel into uncertainty. In 2025 alone, consumers spent $310 more on groceries overall compared to 2024.
Addressing these issues facing consumers and communities requires big changes in Washington and the wider economy, but one thing we lawmakers in Albany have the ability to provide local grocers is another source of revenue, some of which is made right here in New York State: wine.
The restriction on selling wine in grocery stores is 100 years old and doesn’t make sense anymore, especially for the small, independent grocery stores in Harlem and the Bronx that are struggling.
Wine is allowed to be sold in grocery stores in 40 other states. Polls show that more than 75% of New Yorkers believe they, too, should have that convenience. Even more importantly, 80% of wine buyers say they would continue shopping at liquor stores even if this reform passes — debunking the fear that this would shut down small liquor retailers.
Many of the supermarkets in our districts are members of the National Supermarket Association (NSA), a trade association of independently owned stores serving communities up and down the East Coast. These are local entrepreneurs who reinvest in our neighborhoods, hire locally, and provide culturally relevant food options.
NSA members have made it clear that they are eager to get the chance to sell wine along with groceries in their stores. In a letter late last year, more than 80 owners urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to support ongoing legislative efforts to change state law. They know that allowing the sale of wine would give them the same opportunity that their peers enjoy in most of the country.
The restrictions on wine sales are also a frustrating inconvenience for consumers. Right now, a working parent, shopping after a long day, has to make an extra stop if they want to bring home a bottle of wine for dinner or a family celebration. That means more time, more cost, and more inconvenience. In communities where families are already juggling rising food prices, transportation challenges, and tight schedules, that extra stop matters.
This isn’t about choosing one small business over another. Harlem and the Bronx will always be pro-small business, and our local, independent liquor stores will always have a place in our communities. To ensure this is the case, the proposed legislation includes safeguards that encourage healthy competition in the retail sector. Liquor stores will be allowed to expand their product offerings to glassware and other alcohol-adjacent products, and grocery wine licenses cannot be issued within 500 feet of an existing liquor store.
Those changes reflect thoughtful compromise and a recognition that we can modernize New York’s laws without harming other small businesses.
For communities like ours, this conversation is also about affordability and fairness.
We often talk about closing opportunity gaps in communities of color. That includes giving minority-owned supermarkets the ability to compete on an equal footing with their out-of-state peers. Our communities should not be left behind because of Prohibition-era policies.
Modernizing New York’s wine laws is a pro-consumer and pro-small business reform. It reflects what voters want, what neighborhood grocers are asking for, and what hardworking New Yorkers deserve. It’s time for Albany to listen — and let Harlem and the Bronx thrive.
Jordan Wright, Landon Dais, and Al Taylor are members of the New York State General Assembly. They represent districts in Harlem and the Bronx.
This article was concerned about the small grocery stores, but the bill will only benefit the large grocery stores. Have you read the bill?