MONTGOMERY, Ala. (W.S.F.A) – Prevail Coffee has been selling cups of coffee on historic Dexter Avenue in Montgomery for almost a decade, and they’ve been opening at 7 a.m. ever since


Now a city council ordinance puts that in jeopardy.


Businesses with an on-site alcohol license would not only have to close at 2 a.m. on weekends and 1 a.m. during the week, but would also have to remain closed until 9 a.m.


“People get kind of dangerous when they don’t have coffee at 7 a.m.,” said Wade Preston, co-owner of Prevail. “People can be dangerous if they have a little too much to drink at 2am. In my opinion, they are a little less dangerous, but still dangerous if they are not allowed to drink caffeine at 7 o’clock.”


Preston believes that if the ordinance is enacted, it would have serious consequences for his business, and would disproportionately affect small businesses.


“I estimate that the turnover would cost us almost $100,000 per year in job losses or at least some lost labor hours,” Preston predicts. “The only other place anyone would go is Starbucks, so you are literally taking money out of the hands of community members and giving it to a large corporate entity.”


Councilman Oronde Mitchell, who sponsored the ordinance, says it’s about lives over profits.


“When people complain about gunfire, people complain about property crimes, so we’re just making sure our officers can be where they need to be,” he said.


Mitchell is disheartened by the response, saying he received months of positive feedback from the community before it passed.


“They wanted it,” he explained. “They were looking for something because like I said, we have so many problems with our small bars, lounges, clubs and our event centers.”


The ordinance must still be signed by Mayor Steven Reed before it can be implemented. Mitchell says he doesn’t know if he will sign it.


The ordinance was passed by the council on a 7-1 vote on December 3. Councilman Andrew Szymanski, who owns Hilltop Public House and would be affected by the ordinance, was the lone dissenting vote. Councilor Marche Johnson was not present for the vote.


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