Almost a dozen local beer and wine retailers gathered Friday at Wells Discount Liquors in Towson to rally against Gov. Wes Moore’s hopes to lift the ban on beer and wine sales in grocery stores. Their message to lawmakers is simple: Let’s have a conversation.

“How dare anybody propose something that they haven’t done their homework on yet, and I believe he hasn’t done his homework. There are people he needs to talk to,” JoAnn Hyatt, owner of Wells Discount Liquors, said in a press conference.

Local beer and wine retailers made their last call to Gov. Moore, denouncing his support of beer and wine sales at Maryland grocery stores.

“People want this to happen; this is about listening to the people,” Moore said.

However, local retailers believe his shortsighted support of lifting the ban comes at the expense of their businesses.

“There will be many store closings because of this and many unemployed people,” Hyatt said.

“Governor Moore has always been a friend to our industry, but we think this bill will hurt craft distillers.

“We can never compete with a convenience store or Royal Farms or 7-Eleven and so on and so on. ... We’ll be out of business.”

The beer and wine sales ban has been in effect since 1978, but retailers say the same cycle threatens their bottom line every three years.

“When this story first broke a couple Fridays ago, we were asked for comment, and I said, well, we can’t comment because nobody from the governor’s office has talked to us. … I’ve been in Annapolis for my 35th session,” John Milani, legislative co-chair for the Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association, said.

Milani’s disappointment in the lack of communication from state leaders boils down to the numbers.

“Unless you grow it and think that we are going to double the amount of beer and wine sold in the state, somebody is going to be a loser, and we think it’s going to be the small guys,” he said.

Although some consumers look forward to having more options if the ban is lifted, retailers are worried they might be the ones who bear the brunt.

“You know, that’s a really poor argument and it doesn’t really hold water,” Jed Jenny, co-owner of the Wine Source, said. “Realistically, not all of us are going to go out of business, we know that. ... But it’s like Whac-A-Mole. We don’t know who is going to get hit.”