EVERETT, Wash. — The city of Everett is one step closer to a ban on the sale of some alcoholic beverages in certain parts of town.
Last year, the city asked businesses in areas with a high volume of alcohol-related 911 calls to voluntary remove malt liquor from their shelves, but few did. Now they are just a month away from a likely mandatory ban.
Han Min is not only the owner of a smoke shop off Broadway in Everett -- he's the only employee.
<br/> "I am working by myself all day long, all week," Han said.
He says every dollar counts, so even though the malt liquor drinks he stocks only cost about a dollar, he sells so many they account for about 20 percent of his business.
"Twenty percent is a lot for a small business," Han explained from inside his store on a hot July afternoon.
KIRO 7 talked to him last year, too, when the city asked Han and about 100 other businesses around the downtown area to stop selling high-alcohol-content single-serving beverages.
Han didn't, along with the vast majority of his competition.
Now, the city of Everett has submitted an application to the state's liquor board to force compliance in what's called an "alcohol impact zone."
"In the zone, the proposed zone, 69 percent of the calls for service that were alcohol-related were in this zone," Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman explained.
Templeman says that impacts quality of life.
“What we really saw was complaints from the businesses and complaints from the citizens and even after the voluntary period we still received complaints from businesses and residents,” Templeman said.
Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane all have mandatory alcohol impact zones, but most cities don't.
Chief Templeman said when coupled with police-embedded social workers, diversion programs and low barrier housing, these zones in Everett will help break the cycle of addiction.
Han says it may break his business.
"Of course, maybe it will kill my business,” Han concluded.
There's a 30-day public comment period before the liquor board rules on the ban; that is expected to happen Aug. 24.