OFF THE WIRE
http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20100701/NEWS01/7010331/Buying-motorcycles-on-Sunday-Not-yet-but-maybe-soonBuying motorcycles on Sunday? Not yet, but maybe soon
By LAVINIA DeCASTRO • Courier-Post Staff • July 1, 2010
HADDON TWP. — Every Sunday, Barb's Harley-Davidson teems with motorcycle enthusiasts who sift through the dealership's wide array of accessories, shop for spare parts and eye the latest models on the showroom floor.
It's one of the busiest days of the week for the Black Horse Pike dealership, but it doesn't sell a single motorcycle.
That's because in New Jersey, an outdated Blue Law makes it illegal to sell motorcycles and cars on Sunday.
"It's crazy," said Barbara Borowiec, owner of Barb's Harley Davidson. "You can do everything else in New Jersey on a Sunday, but you can't buy a motorcycle."
But that could soon change.
A bill sponsored by Sen. Donald Norcross, D-Camden, would allow motorcycles to be sold on Sundays. The Senate Monday voted 38-2 in favor of the measure, which will now go to the Assembly for consideration.
If the bill becomes law, the sale of motorcycles would be permitted, but car sales would not.
"While our dealerships are closed for business, motorcycle dealers across the river are welcoming New Jersey consumers with open arms," Norcross said in a press release.
Borowiec has lobbied for five years for the change, Norcross said during a telephone interview. She recently told members of the Senate Transportation Committee that customers who want to buy on the spot often leave her dealership and make the 30-mile trip to Delaware, where Sunday motorcycles sales are legal.
"The average person doesn't understand why they can't buy it that day," Borowiec said.
Borowiec opened her dealership 23 years ago, but has had Sunday hours only for the past seven years. On that day, the dealership sells parts, accessories, rents motorcycles and offers rider safety courses.
"More people come in through the door on weekends," Borowiec said. "I've been saying that for years and finally, someone heard me."
On Wednesday morning, several customers at the dealership were surprised to learn they couldn't purchase a motorcycle on Sunday.
"That's another stupid New Jersey law," said Jim Laub, a Clementon police officer who was buying cleaning products for his Harley-Davidson.
The weekend, that's the biggest time to ride. I'm fortunate enough that I could get here during a weekday, but a lot of people can't."
"They don't sell motorcycles on Sunday?" asked a puzzled Bill Schlagle of Deptford.
"Why not? I see no problem with it."
Many states have outdated, Colonial-era Blue Laws on the books that ban the sale of certain items on Sunday. The laws have their roots in the Christian faith, in which the seventh day is reserved for worship.
Borowiec said the average Harley-Davidson owner spends $9,000 a year on his motorcycle, usually at the dealership where the bike was purchased. Sunday motorcycle sales are not expected to bring any additional revenue to the state; sales tax is paid to the state where the vehicle is registered, regardless of where it was purchased. But if the Sunday ban is repealed, New Jersey is expected to see a boost in sales tax from accessories sold at motorcycle dealerships.
Norcross said New Jersey dealerships could also attract customers from Pennsylvania, where the sale of vehicles on Sunday is also prohibited.
"If we can keep one dealership from going out of business, that's good enough for me," he said.
Michael Borski, of Lindenwold, was aware of the ban. The owner of two cycles said his father-in-law offered to drive him to Delaware so he could purchase a Harley-Davidson.
"It's a kind of a long ride," said Borski, who declined the offer. "If I had gone, I probably would have bought it in Delaware on a Sunday."
Norcross' bill exempts any county that already has such laws in order to accommodate Bergen County, where Blue Laws prohibit the Sunday sale of most nonessential items.
So far, there has been no talk of repealing the Sunday sales ban for automobiles.
"The motorcycle dealership is a very different kind of business than a new car dealership," said Jim Appleton, president of the Trenton-based New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers.
Motorcycle dealers draw a large percentage of their sales revenue from accessories, he added.
"At a car dealership, there isn't a whole lot of demand for mugs with the car's logo on it."
If dealers believed lifting the Sunday sales ban would affect the bottom line, "they would have marched to Trenton by now" to demand a change in the law, Appleton said.
"Being open on Sunday wouldn't generate any additional sales, but it would generate additional expenses."
