Comm. Ave. smoke shop seeks to add alcohol because so many people over the line in Brookline have a yen for sake

Update: Approved.

The Boston Licensing Board decides tomorrow whether to let City Smoke Shop, 957 Commonwealth Ave., add beer and wine to its offerings.

At a hearing this morning, owner Nilesh Patel's attorney, Andrew Upton, said customers have been asking Patel to add the adult beverages. He said people of Asian origin from Brookline in particular have been asking for sake, the Japanese fermented beverage. He said some 19% of Brookline now consists of "people who identify as Asian."

Upton said the smoke shop's location, in the heart of BU territory, will prove no problem. Patel has five years of experience at the site keeping the kiddos from getting cigarettes and uses a "state of the art" point-of-sale system that does stringent ID checking that will help prevent the under-21 set from getting their hands on sake or other beverages with an alcohol content above 0 percent.

Upton added that Patel would agree to a license restriction to prohibit the sale of kegs, single containers of beer and malt liquors.

Unlike with restaurant alcohol licenses, the board still has licenses to hand out for alcohol sales at stores.