Blue Laws Dilute New Year’s Eve Spirits : Holidays: Liquor sellers in some states are left singing the pre-midnight blues over ban on Sunday sales.

Most states have some sort of law restricting liquor sales on Sundays. So when New Year’s Eve falls on a Sunday, as it does this year, it’s a less-than-festive holiday for those who make a living selling alcohol.

“I think it will hurt the industry,” said Ray Brezzo, who owns a liquor store in Glastonbury, Conn. “We’re very, very pessimistic.”

In Connecticut, as in many Northeastern states, bars and restaurants can serve alcohol on Sundays but liquor stores cannot sell it. For New Year’s Eve, Brezzo is hoping his customers will buy what they need on Saturday--but he’s far from confident.

“Nobody knows what to expect,” he said. “Everybody’s sort of sitting on the edge of their seat.”

Liquor stores in New York City are posting signs to remind customers to buy early. In Grand Forks, N.D., Happy Harry’s Bottle Shop is taking out newspaper advertisements with a similar reminder.

Still, owner Hal Gershman said, “No matter how much advertising you do, and how much you try to tell people, there are still 60% of the people who don’t pay attention and will show up at the last minute.”

In Alabama, where restaurants and nightclubs cannot sell alcohol between 2 a.m. and midnight Sunday, some places will hold parties the night before. Others will start their festivities at midnight. As in several other Southern states, private clubs are exempt from the law.

Chris Fuller, general manager of American Pie, a 2-month-old Montgomery nightclub without a private license, said he’ll throw a bash on Saturday night.

“But it’s just not going to have the same whiz-bang as New Year’s Eve,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a big loss. A day-before-New Year’s Eve party, that sounds pretty goofy.”