BOISE, Idaho — The Space Bar in Downtown Boise can't serve liquor anymore. This is after the lease on their liquor license expired. Last year the legislature put an end to liquor license leases to help stop bad actors from abusing the system, but now it's impacting a local business.
- The team hopes to create legislation that would eventually get rid of Idaho's quota system, which states that each city gets two licenses, and an additional one for every 1,500 people. They hope to raise the annual fee, but get rid of the limit on number of leases.
- The other option is to buy a license, which would cost around $300,000. The team is in the works creating a Kick Starter which would allow people to donate to their cause, while also getting perks based on how much they contribute.
- The link for that Kick Starter fundraiser will be on the bar's Instagram page in the coming days.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
Though they're Surrounded by games all day, Space Bar co-owners Will Hay and Zack Roland aren't playing around.
They make phone calls every day to legislators, hoping to create change to Idaho's liquor license system.
"February 1st was the first day that we couldn't serve alcohol legally," Hay said.
The space bar was leasing a liquor license from a third party, but after that agreement ended, they weren't able to get another one.
Last year SB 1120 virtually ended the transfer of liquor licenses. It was meant to get rid of bad actors who would get licenses and lease them at high prices, but now it's impacting this local business.
"So that was what was pushed forward with (SB) 1120, they are no longer transferable," Hay said.
"But it was kind of a two step forward one step back thing where, yeah maybe it'll return some of those licenses back into the system but at a really slow rate," Roland said.
All the space bars bottles are now behind a cage under lock.
"Yeah it's crushing," Hay said.
The bar, now only able to serve beer, wine, and canned cocktails. No hard liquor, hurting business.
"If you can't serve that (liquor), they'll probably go somewhere else and you'll lose those sales," Roland said.
Their next arena, just around the corner from the bar at the State House, the game of politics.
Idaho's current quota law allows two licenses per city, with an additional one for every 1500 people who live there.
The Space Bar team is asking for two changes, to raise the annual license fee to $5000 for new license holders, while grandfathering in legacy owners and to get rid of Idaho's Quota system gradually over 10 years by lowering the population growth barrier by 150 people every year until it's zero.
Space bar says it won't only help small businesses in Boise, but also towns seeing a spike in tourism, but no increase in census population.
"Possibly change laws to possibly get one and we can have a fair shot at this," Roland said.
A month into the legislative session, they haven't gotten much momentum, but they aren't stopping. they say their small business depends on it.
"That American dream that's still alive ya know," Roland said.