Dan Kerkinni's ill-fated struggle to open a craft beer store in Uptown ("New liquor store sites running dry," Oct. 16) highlights the disconnect between city regulations and the public interest.
By preventing liquor stores from opening within 2,000 feet of one another, Minneapolis effectively blesses mini-monopolies for existing liquor-store owners. In an area as dense and busy as Uptown, it's no wonder the owner of Hennepin-Lake Liquors is quoted as saying "it should be a mile between stores."
Those rigid distance requirements prevent him from having to compete for customers with better service or lower prices. When robber barons win, entrepreneurs and consumers lose.
ANDERS IMBODEN, MINNEAPOLIS
