Following a successful petition signed by thousands of Marple residents, voters will get to decide if the township’s liquor laws will be expanded during the May primary election, writes Erin McCarthy for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Marple is one of several towns in the Philadelphia area that limits the sale of alcohol. While beer distributors and state stores are permitted, restaurants, grocery stores, and other retailers in Marple cannot sell liquor or beer.
The recent push to change the restrictive liquor laws in Marple was aided by the Giant supermarket in Broomall. People sat near the entrance for weeks to get enough signatures to allow Marple residents to vote on easing liquor laws.
Many shoppers signed the petition, including 52-year-old Lisa Egan. She said she had been wishing for years to be able to go out on a date with her husband or have a drink with her friends in a restaurant without having to leave town.
“I’m not a big drinker,” she said. “But it’s not about amount; it’s about access.”
Read more about Marple’s liquor laws in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.
