About 60 of the state's liquor stores have been open on Sundays, accounting for $9.66 million in revenues, according to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
After nearly 70 years of prohibiting wine or liquor sales on Sundays, the Legislature last year created a two-year pilot program through which 10 percent of the state's 634 wine and spirit shops could open on Sunday.
"Right now we are at our maximum 10 percent,'' said PLCB spokeswoman Molly McGowan.
The Hawthorne Center store in Manheim Township is the only one of Lancaster County's 16 liquor stores to open that day. It generated $236,636 so far in Sunday sales, excluding this past Sunday, McGowan said.
Depending on the success of the program, more stores could open on Sunday at the end of the pilot program, in February of 2005, she said.
McGowan did not have overall sales figures for the Hawthorne Center store, but said that since February total sales combined at Lancaster County's liquor stores jumped about 10 percent, to $19.6 million from $17.8 million for the same period last year.
Over the 13 months ended in July, liquor sales in Lancaster County jumped 4.5 percent, to $33.5 million, according to earlier reports.
The PLCB reported earlier that sales are up throughout the state, but are especially strong in certain areas, including Lancaster County.
In the first two months of the state's fiscal year, starting in July, store revenues grew 11 percent to $171.2 million compared to the same period last year, according to The Associated Press.
Besides the Sunday sales, PLCB officials are attributing growth to improved service, wine-tasting events and better inventory.
In June, to keep customers from leaving the state to buy cheaper liquor, the state opened four discount Outlet Stores in Gettysburg, Easton, Northeast Philadelphia and Hermitage, near the Ohio border. More Outlet Stores are planned for Chester County and Washington County in the coming months.
The PLCB plans to open liquor stores inside major supermarkets in the Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg areas, perhaps by the end of the year.
McGowan said no specific stores have been identified, but said those in the Lancaster County area will be considered or "probably somewhere between Harrisburg and Lancaster.''
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