By Michael Coughlin Jr.
At its monthly meeting in September, the Community Alliance of Mission Hill (CAMH) listened to representatives from Tipsy’s Market, which is looking to upgrade its existing beer and wine license to include spirits.
Kristen Scanlon, an Attorney who presented the proposal at the CAMH meeting, said, “With the addition of full spirits, they wouldn’t be taking away from any of the current offerings; they would just be reducing forward-facing product mostly to make room for spirits.”
She also emphasized that the owners have committed to not selling singles under the current license and that if their proposed upgrade were approved, they would be “committed 100%” to not selling nips.
In terms of reaction to the request and the process so far, Scanlon said the Parker Street establishment had conducted an abutters meeting and met with Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services (MHNHS).
“The abutters meeting was well-attended with upwards of 40 attendees, most of whom spoke in strong support,” said Scanlon.
“Kind of the overarching theme that we were hearing in comments there was convenience is a factor, a strategic location. While people may have cars, they would rather walk in this instance, and I guess other liquor stores aren’t easily walkable — a lot of people were pointing that out.”
Regarding the meeting with MHNHS, Scanlon said they received feedback on the ratio of the current offerings in terms of alcohol products to grocery products. Specifically, she noted that the ratio “would be really close to 50:50 should this license be obtained.”
As for other reactions to the request, Scanlon said they have received support from more than 20 local businesses and from Fenway High School.
The statement that Tipsy’s Market received support from a school raised the eyebrows of some attendees, to the point that one resident asked for a copy of the support letter.
It should be noted that Scanlon read the letter of support out loud during the meeting. However, the letter did not explicitly say it supported the request for the license upgrade but that the school supported Tipsy’s Market and what it has contributed to the school.
After the letter was read aloud, at least one attendee found Scanlon’s inclusion of the school’s support misleading, and she indicated that they would seek clarification.
While there were some questions about past issues and concerns relating to trash, loitering outside the establishment, and more, there was a ton of support from attendees at the meeting.
“Tipsy’s Market is the best market on Mission Hill. It is the best place to buy alcohol, to buy snacks, to buy anything of convenience,” said one attendee.
Another attendee who said they lived right down the road from Tipsy’s mentioned that they would love to be able to buy spirits from there.
“I think the issues of the past are really non-existent,” said one resident, referring to some of the questions about trash and loitering near the property.
That same resident added, “Obviously, we have a stacked room of supporters, but if I’m being honest about it, I have to agree with most of what they’re saying. I don’t see a real issue with the upgrade here; I don’t see a big concern that would affect the neighborhood negatively.”
As previously stated, attendees strongly supported the proposal; however, it should be noted that some of those who commented wanted to ensure that the other products sold at the store would not slowly be taken away for spirits.
Harshad Patel, one of the owners of Tipsy’s Market, emphasized that the items they sell now, like bread, snacks, cleaning supplies, and more, will still be at the store.
“All kinds of basic grocery stuff — we’re going to keep it [the] same thing…Whatever, right now we have, we’re going to keep it the same,” said Patel.
Since this was the first presentation to CAMH, a vote was not held. It is customary for CAMH to vote on a proposal after the second presentation. According to the group’s website, the next CAMH meeting is scheduled for October 16th.