Virginia Blue laws

[tbva]

Any dinosaurs ,besides your truly, remember the Blue laws in Virginia? They regulated Sunday business activities (among other things). I remember the Drug Fair on Hillwood Avenue in FC was able to be open. There was a long list of items they were not allowed to sell so they put sheets over the display counters of the banned merchandise. I remember hardware stores were not allowed to be open Sundays but...Drug Fair could sell nuts and bolts. Go figure. Things have certainly changed.

[dt]

I just read somewhere that they weren't repealed in VA until like 1988. That's about the time that I remember alcohol sales being allowed on Sundays in MO.

[tbva]

I remember when Va finally allowed liquor-by-the-drink in the late 60's. My folks used to partonize a favorite restaurant. They allowed their few customers to bring a bottle and it was kept in the kitchen. They decided to use dark amber glasses for water...convenient to disguise the actual contents of the glass. After the restrictions were lifted no one knew how to act, they could just order a drink...no hiding.

[ChefJim]

I sure do remember the blue laws, sure was glad when they were lifted.

[pttibg]

I remember Blue Laws VERY well...we groused...we complained...they changed the laws. There was something very awkward about going into a store where you could buy some things, but not others. As I recall, if the item were only for amusement, you could not buy it. Of course, "amusement" was in the eye of the beholder. Even so, there was some form & order to the idea & in these times of "anything goes", I'm not so sure any longer that some of those rules we found nonsensical might actually have been a good thing.

[take5]

repealed in 1988 ??? No, my memory is that Virginia repealed its blue laws right about 1970. For a short time, Maryland residents started shopping at Tysons Corner Mall on Sundays until Maryland repealed its blue laws a little while later. Seems out of character for the conservative state of Virginia to change its blue laws before the liberal state of Maryland did - but this is what I remember.

[SMcKnight]

I seem to recall that the blue laws were ignored for some time before they were actually repealed. If so, that may account for differences between perceived repeal and actual repeal.

-Scott