PHOENIX — Exciting news for shoppers up at Desert Ridge Marketplace -- you'll now be allowed to "sip and stroll" with cocktails as you make your way through the shopping center.
Beginning the first weekend of November, anyone 21 and older can buy beer, wine, or cocktails from a mobile bar stationed outside of Copper Blues Live and have their beverage throughout the retail space.
While the concept is standard for areas like Las Vegas, it has been banned in Arizona and most other states until now.
A bill signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey earlier this year allows certain retail properties to let one of its bars or restaurants serve alcohol outside of its establishment to customers who can then walk the grounds with their drinks. The plans must be approved of by the city where the center is located, as well as the director of the Arizona Department of Liquor.
Desert Ridge will be the first shopping center in Arizona to offer the new experience. Tempe Marketplace is also in the process of seeking approvals for the same amenity.
Hours of operation going into effect this weekend will be Friday from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday 12 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Copper Blues Live will be the only location at Desert Ridge Marketplace where customers can buy alcohol and wander outdoors while taking in the facility's amenities.
"We think it will be great not only for our business, but the eligible shopping centers seeking to innovate with new and different ways to bring people and keep them at their properties," said Eric Bachkoff, a partner of Copper Blues Live.
