In the 90 years since its founding after the end of Prohibition, the NH Liquor Commission became a nationally recognized brand generating over $4 billion in profits for the state.

Its biggest project is in the works, says Commission Chair Joseph Mollica. Specifically, the redevelopment of the Interstate 95 liquor stores in Hampton. The project will be significantly larger than the Hooksett highway stores on I-93.

“There will be a 22,000-square-foot liquor store on each side of the highway,” he says, adding the project could include restaurants, rest stops, food-to-go, fuel, and walking trails that take advantage of its proximity to the
Taylor River.

The Hooksett highway stores, built in 2017, occupy about five or six acres, while the Hampton project covers 64 acres northbound and 24 acres southbound. “It’s a huge undertaking,” Mollica says, noting completion of the project is estimated to be  18 to 24 months away.

It’s a far cry from the days when the stores were small, utilitarian in style, and often located in strip malls.

When prohibition ended in 1934, the federal government said the states could allow private stores or control them. New Hampshire is one of the 17 alcohol control states responsible for generating revenue and enforcing liquor laws. Mollica says the stores were run by men who stood behind counters. “There was no self-service,” he says. “There were no women in those stores.”

Over the years, the stores were often not well stocked and lacked appeal and customer service. Mollica, who has an extensive hospitality background, was charged with transforming the commission when he was brought on by Gov. John Lynch in 2010.

So he created a brand, the NH Liquor & Wine Outlet. “You have to be fresh and have a look and feel that people understand,” he says.

The branding stuck and so did the process of updating and converting stores to the new look and layout.  So far, 45 of the 65 stores have been updated—the most recent on the Keene/Swanzey border.

“When a customer goes into the store, they feel safe. It’s clean and there are wide aisles,” he says. “We only sell name brands. Outlet is in our name and that means brand names for less.”

People took notice and not just those in NH. “Half of the business comes from outside of the state, and the liquor commission does market outside of New Hampshire,” Mollica says.

The stores have about 12 million customers annually, and the Portsmouth store at the traffic circle (renovated in 2018) is the commission’s number one store. “I knew we were on to something when people stopped saying, ‘why did you change my liquor store?’ to ‘when are you changing my liquor store?’”