Her records show a revenue drop of nearly $57,000, or 28 percent, for the last half of 2005 versus 2004.

“And January was worse. We were down 40 percent, over $18,000 in sales,” Roepcke said.

“Our sales had been increasing, but when the smoking ban hit it was devastating. We were losing 30 to 40 percent a month.

“Our profit margin is gone. I’ve had to take $40,000 out of my own pocket since July to cover our losses.”

Roepcke said he has cut his staff of 14 employees by half.

“The seven employees we have left have had their hours cut back,” Roepcke said.

“Last month alone we were down 50 percent in Budweiser sales from the year before,” Roepcke said. “If the exemption doesn’t pass, I don’t know what a lot of the bars are going to do. Right now, we are borrowing, cutting back and not taking a salary ourselves just to stay in business.”

Source: Post Crescent. Link Expired.

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