Yes! Organic Market is now accessible from Route 1.

The grocery store was built with access from the sidewalk as well as the parking lot in back, but a state law kept it from opening both.

Under Maryland statute, stores selling beer and wine are not allowed to have doors within 500 feet of “a house of worship.” Unfortunately for Yes!, the Crossover Church in the old Hyattsville Armory building is a little over 350 feet away.

This past session, state Sen. Paul Pinsky, who represents parts of Prince George’s County, introduced a bill to reduce the distance from 500 to 350 feet just for the Gateway Arts District in Hyattsville. It passed and the law went into effect today.

Called “local bills,” these kinds of exceptions to state law are fairly routine, although lawmakers always have to be careful not to create unintended consequences.

The doors aren’t open both ways, though. You’ll be able to enter Yes! from the sidewalk along Route 1, but you’ll still need to pay at the cashiers in the back.