state store

Questions

What does state store mean?

A liquor store selling wine and spirits (but not beer), run by an administrative board of the state government.

Where does state store come from?

So named because for many decades the state maintained a monopoly on the retail sale of bottled liquor and wine (i.e., as packaged goods, in contrast with those served in a glass at a bar or restaurant); those are the only consumer products that are sold in stores run by the state. Meanwhile, bottled and canned beer was long sold only by a dedicated class of merchants (called beer distributors). Today some grocery stores in the state sell wine and beer, but liquor (spirits) in particular remains a state monopoly at the state store.

How to pronounce state store

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “state store”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “state store”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “state store” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.