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ALTON – Stacey Roach, co-owner of Pour Decisions in downtown Alton, announced at Wednesday’s City Council meeting the bar will likely be forced to close its doors after its late night liquor license was revoked.
A late night liquor license allows an Alton business to sell alcohol as late as 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends. Pour Decisions is one of two downtown bars which had their late night liquor licenses revoked after a hearing before Mayor and Liquor Commissioner David Goins in July.
According to Roach, the effects on the business have been devastating.
“We went from being open seven days a week, employing a full staff, to being forced down to just three nights a week. We had to lay off our entire staff, including family members and my son,” Roach said. “Today, it leaves only me there doing three night shifts a week, doing what I can just to keep the doors open.
“The financial hit has been severe. Where we were once ringing over $4,000 a night, we are now bringing in less than $1,000, sometimes $500. That kind of loss is not sustainable, and the heartbreaking truth is we now find ourselves preparing to close our doors and the property soon will list for sale.”
Roach said there were already issues with public drinking and other ordinance violations downtown prior to Pour Decisions opening, but added the recent uptick in police presence has made downtown feel like a “ghost town.” She also echoed concerns of fellow bar co-owner Brian Trust, who has claimed city officials unfairly targeted Pour Decisions when seeking to revoke their late night license.
“Our business took off exactly as we believed it would … we were contributing to the economy and vibrancy of downtown Alton,” Roach said. “But along the way, a shift occurred. A couple incidents took place and instead of being treated fairly, we felt targeted.”
Going forward, she encouraged city officials to apply the same rules equally to each member of the Alton business community.
“All we are asking for is fairness, consistency, accountability, [and] the same rules applied evenly to everyone – not only when a new business enters the picture, but across the board,” Roach concluded. “We wanted Pour Decisions to be a positive part of the community. We wanted to contribute to Alton’s growth, not be painted as the problem.”
A full recording of the Aug. 27, 2025 Alton City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
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