Board to consider whether South Boston is reaching a tippling point when it comes to the number of convenience stores selling alcohol

The Boston Licensing Board deferred a vote today on a request from an East 8th Street market to let it sell beer and wine, so that board members can consider whether South Boston is on the verge of having too many places that sell adult beverages.

Board members emphasized they have nothing against Old Harbor Market, 334 East 8th St., or owner Fantir Patel. In fact, board Chairwoman Kathleen Joyce said she appreciated the "ton of support" in e-mails the board received for the store's request overnight from nearby residents, following a hearing yesterday.

At that hearing, Patel's attorney, Kristen Scanlon, said Patel, who bought and renovated the store about a year ago, wants to better serve his roughly 175 daily customers with a selection of craft beers and wines selling between $8 and $25 a bottle. She said he would not eliminate any shelf space for food or other items and would not sell single beer cans or bottles.

But noting this is the third request in a couple of months from Southie convenience stores wanting to sell alcohol or expand their offerings, coming on top of other such requests over the past year, Joyce and fellow board members say they want to take a couple weeks to examine the ramifications. They set Aug. 1 as the date on which they'll decide on Patel's request.

"South Boston is not that big of a place and we really need to dial in block by block." board member Liam Curran said. He noted that prospective owners of alcohol licenses need to prove a public need. "It's not just public sentiment that goes into 'public need,' there has be something more than that," he said.

Over the past year, the board has approved new beer and wine licenses for three convenience stores in the neighborhood, one about three blocks down East 8th St., for the Llanera Supermarket. The board also agreed to let Jamie's Market, which Patel's family owns on H Street on the other side of Telegraph Hill, expand from just beer and wine to all alcoholic beverages.

According to the city data portal, South Boston currently has 18 stores and one delivery service licensed to sell all alcoholic beverages, from beer to hard liquor, which includes both full-service packies and convenience stores. The neighborhood has another 6 markets stores that can sell beer and wine - plus the Polish Triangle's Baltic European Deli, which has an 02127 Zip code.