Last week, the Shank reported on a new Baltimore city proposal from city health officials that would shut down 130 local businesses by changing city zoning that previously grandfathered in some liquor stores so that they would no longer be allowed to do business as liquor stores in the communities they have been serving for decades.
Proponents of this policy are trying to paint this as a picture of the city trying to shut down predatory, bulletproof plexiglass cash wrap liquor stores.
In the greater Hampden-area (including Medfield and Woodberry), here are the 3 stores the city has targeted for shutting down - none of them are of the bulletproof plexiglass cashwrap variety.
Roland Park Liquors (Roland Ave.) - Next to the Wine Source, my favorite North Baltimore liquor store. In a limited amount of space, they fit in a good variety of interesting beer, wine and spirits.
The Wine Underground (Evans Chapel Rd.) - One of the more popular liquor stores in the neighborhood. Regularly hosts wine-tastings.
JT's (Falls Rd.) - JT's could be prettier, but it's not just a liquor store, it's also a market and carryout, so it provides the neighborhood with food. In fact, I've ordered lunch from them several times - and those lunches were salads.
If you haven't already done so, please contact your city council representative and urge them to continue to honor the decades old grandfather clause that allows these liquor stores to exist in our community.
Facts, the City should have to show FACTS that any given store is contributing to the problems they say they are! I don't care if that store is in Hoe's Heights or Sandtown. If a given store is contributing to a larger problem then do something about it. Also owners should be allowed to try and fix any problems prior to the city (effectively) shutting down their small business.
Also does anyone know what will happen to the licenses that are freed up by any large scale action? I can see them (disproportionally) benefiting restaurants who currently lacks licenses.
Posted by: Bosconet | June 28, 2012 at 11:19 AM
It's always bad when a small business suffers, but don't you think there are more than enough liquor stores in Baltimore?
Posted by: J | June 28, 2012 at 05:52 PM
Any reason you didn't mention Hampden Park's on Falls rd? Also, what's the situation with Red Fish? I heard the HCC/Merchants Assc. has a problem with them, but I've never been fully aware of the reason.
Posted by: Joseph | June 28, 2012 at 07:56 PM
I think it will be interesting to see where those liquor licenses go if these businesses are shut down -- like Bosconet, I'm wondering if they'll end up in the hands of more upscale businesses -- is this a way to free up licenses in Baltimore?
The unfortunate part is Baltimore has laws on the books to deal with problem business owners, and bad property owners. Instead of using those laws, and enforcing them -- we end up with more feel-good legislation that benefits nobody, and only creates more laws that ultimately are never enforced. We create these band-aid fixes that make the media, while actual issues like quality-of-life crimes, a slashed fire department budget, and wasteful spending by our elected officials gets little to no attention.
Posted by: Carol Ott | June 28, 2012 at 08:01 PM
Mosby is hell bent on getting corner stores closed and is painting with some of the broadest brush strokes I’ve seen, you should have seen his first version of the Liquor Store Ordinance that he got passed. Incredibly paternalistic. Then a John Hopkins study came out linking liquor stores to crime, And everyone seems to be confusing correlation and causation. There are so many other factors! And they are the pesky factors that the City has been impotent against for decades. Honestly I think because the City’s policies have failed against the harder issues they are trying to now to police the only places they seem to have effect on: the lawful businesses. Its absurd.
Why can’t Baltimore be like New York? Why can’t we have bodegas?
Closing legitimate business is giving up on the community.
{Sidenote: Redfish issue, I believe it was because they were violating some of the initial restrictions on their liquor license. I think they were not supposed to be selling singles/40s but were or something along those lines and there was a protracted legal fight}
Posted by: S D Wrenn | June 29, 2012 at 10:21 AM
why bother shutting down a neighborhood liquor store? as others have pointed out they usually sell more than just liquor. Also, the drunks will just go somewhere else to buy. it won't stop people from buying liquor.
Posted by: Bebinn Maolcataig | June 30, 2012 at 02:17 PM
So, this is it? The small stores would have to suffer while the big ones get the sale? It is never wrong to sell liquors! The wrong thing here is the conception that anyone can buy and drink one. That is what these people should look into with. Your post is most helpful indeed.
Posted by: Ruby Jones | January 10, 2013 at 01:39 PM