Nick Fede Jr., Executive Director, Rhode Island Liquor Operators Collaborative.

By Nick Fede, Jr., Director, Rhode Island Liquor Operators Collaborative

The lesson is no longer theoretical. It is unfolding across the country, in real time—and it is telling us exactly what happens when independent retailers fail to invest in their own voice. 

Over the past several years, we have watched states like Colorado and Massachusetts become case studies in what happens when the balance of the marketplace shifts away from locally owned businesses. In Colorado, a series of changes—most notably the passage of Colorado Proposition 125—allowed grocery and convenience stores to sell wine alongside beer. That single policy shift fundamentally altered the competitive landscape. Independent retailers didn’t just feel pressure; they felt immediate loss. Stores reported steep declines in revenue, and closures followed.

The impact became so severe that lawmakers were forced to respond with Colorado Senate Bill 33; not to expand opportunity, but to stop the bleeding. That is the reality of reactive advocacy. By the time you are fighting to fix the problem, the damage is already done.

Massachusetts presents a quieter, but equally important warning. Efforts to expand license caps and loosen longstanding restrictions have been framed as modernization. But in practice, these changes open the door for consolidation by favoring large, multi-location operators over independent businesses. Once that shift begins, it accelerates quickly, and reversing it becomes nearly impossible.

Contrast that with what we are seeing in New York and Connecticut. In both states, as independent retailers have banded together—organized, engaged, and unified, to push back against efforts to allow wine sales in grocery stores. These are not isolated efforts. They are coordinated campaigns built on a shared understanding: once wine enters grocery, the foundation of independent retail begins to erode.

And importantly, these states are not operating in silos. Through American Beverage Licensees, retailers across the country are connected by sharing strategy, intelligence, and support. Whether it’s Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, or Colorado, we are all part of the same broader fight. The challenges may differ slightly by state, but the stakes are identical.

Here in Rhode Island, we have chosen to meet that challenge head-on. Over the past five years, the Rhode Island Liquor Operators Collaborative has made a deliberate, sustained investment in advocacy to protect independent retailers. That work has taken many forms. It has meant showing up at the State House, bill after bill, ensuring lawmakers understand the real-world impact of their decisions. It has meant organizing retailers across the state to speak with a unified voice on so many critical issues that matter to the small business owner.

It has meant building; not just reacting to legislation but helping shape it. We have worked to defend population-based license limits that prevent oversaturation and ensure public safety. We have pushed back against proposals that would weaken the three-tier system. We have emphasized the importance of keeping alcohol sales in accountable, regulated environments; not shifting them into spaces where oversight is diluted.

And perhaps most importantly, we have built alignment. Because the truth is simple: Advocacy can only exist if it is invested in. It requires time. It requires resources. It requires participation. And it requires a willingness to act collectively, not individually. The forces pushing for deregulation are not passive. They are organized, well-funded, and persistent. National chains and corporate-backed interests do not wait—they invest, they coordinate, and they execute.

Independent retailers must do the same. Colorado is what happens when advocacy comes too late. Massachusetts is what happens when structural change gains momentum without enough resistance. New York and Connecticut are examples of what happens when retailers stand together early and draw a line before the system is altered. Rhode Island has, so far, followed that same model. But that success is not guaranteed. It is the result of continued effort, continued engagement, and continued investment. Because the next challenge is always coming. 

The question is not whether pressure will increase. It will. The question is whether we will continue to meet it together, as an industry, with a unified voice. Because if the past five years have taught us anything, it is this: when independent retailers invest in advocacy, they protect their future. When they don’t, someone else decides it for them.

Nick Fede Jr. serves as RILOC’s Executive Director, American Beverage Licensees’ Vice President (Off-Premise) and is a third-generation liquor retailer.