SWAMPSCOTT — At the latest Select Board meeting, a continued hearing was held on the subject of Richdale Swampscott to change its off-premises wine and malt beverages license to an off-premises all alcohol license.
Attorney Chris Drucas explained during the original hearing on Dec. 3 that the goal was to expand the area around the section where beer and wine are located in the rear of the store.
“The plan is to put some shelving behind the counter where the cash register is today… to hold pints and half pints with another row of shelving directly in front of where the wine is now, which would hold the other products,” Drucas said.
As of now, there are products that contain vodka that the store cannot sell under its current license, which is one of the reasons for the switch to an all-alcohol license.
Drucas explained that the rear section of the store had many cameras to keep an eye on the additional alcohol. He also noted that the store would not be turning into a liquor store and would remain a convenience store.
Multiple people, including neighbors, came to speak for the store and its strong reputation, while one abutter wrote in stating that there were issues in the area with noise and litter from the store.
The hearing was pushed back because letters had not been sent to abutters, leading the store to return to try to get the license at the next meeting.
Select Board member Danielle Leonard began the discussion by sharing her concerns as a parent.
“I feel like underage drinking in our town is a thing. It’s a thing maybe we don’t like to talk about a lot, but neighboring towns have had issues. It’s almost an epidemic, I would say, in small towns,” Leonard said.
She said she had a bad feeling about a convenience store frequented all year by kids having more alcohol, and that her main concern was the atmosphere created in the store.
“We have three full-sized liquor stores in a 3-square-mile town. I don’t think that we’re lacking for places to buy liquor. It’s my understanding that this license already has a beer and wine license… This is an expansion of the license… It’s not that I want to cut into anybody’s profit margin, but I think that at some point someone has to start talking about underage drinking in a town of our size,” Leonard said.
Board Chair Katie Phelan said she was uncertain if the Board had the ability to deny a license based on being uncomfortable with the establishment obtaining it.
She also talked about a recent experience she had at the store.
“I happened to walk in when my son was there with a couple of his friends and there was two of them inside. And I said, ‘Why are there only two of you inside?’ And he said, ‘We’re only allowed to be two inside at a time,'” Phelan said.
She continued that the fact that her son and his friends respected this rule spoke volumes to the management at this location and how responsible and respected they are there.
“I do still have the fears that (Danielle) Leonard states, but I also look at your layout, and I see that all your alcohol is in the back of the store,” she said.
Board member MaryEllen Fletcher said she held similar concerns, while Vice Chair Doug Thompson said he was ready to make a motion to approve.
“I’m not saying that some kid couldn’t go over there for sure. They can already go over there and get a beer and a wine. We’re talking about adding some liquor behind the cash register and at the end of a cooler. So, to me, it feels like there’s a balance here. If a kid is looking to get alcohol, they’re either already going to be able to get it here or somewhere else. This is a well-operated business,” Thompson said.
Board member David Grishman also showed his support, stating that he knows that it will be done the right way at the establishment.
“I would not be comfortable with my child going into a convenience store where there is a lot of displays of liquor, wine, beer… I think those constant images don’t add to a good result often,” Fletcher said.
After a long discussion, the Board made the decision for a continuance to look into the legal framework on regulations and parameters for the license.
