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Closed South Station restaurant could be converted into a liquor store

A company that once proposed a grab-and-go alcohol kiosk in the middle of South Station is back with plan to convert the failed Tavitas Mexican restaurant space into a glass-enclosed liquor store.

Land of Beer, which already runs a liquor store at New York's Penn Station, was scheduled for a Boston Licensing Board vote today, but asked the board to defer any action to give it more time to meet with Leather District residents. The company last year proposed a smaller liquor kiosk at South Station that was strongly opposed by police.

The proposed store, to be called Land of Beer, Wine & Spirit, would not sell nips or single cans of beer, its attorney, Tom Miller, said at a hearing yesterday.

Miller added that all the bottles would be behind a counter and that a full-time greeter would open and close the one entrance for customers. The store would use an electronic scanner to check licenses and IDs, Miller said, adding owner Mohammad Sadiq has considerable experience at Penn Station dealing with potentially fake licenses from other states and countries.

Miller said that in addition to commuters seeking a bottle to go, the shop would also cater to both existing Leather District residents and people who will eventually move into the 320 residential units that will be part of the tower now being built above South Station tracks.

If approved, the store would be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, Miller said.

Nobody spoke against the proposal at the hearing, although one Leather District resident said she did want to hear from Transit and Boston Police. Through an aide, City Councilor Ed Flynn (Downtown, South Boston, South End, Chinatown) supported the proposal.

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Comments

I had to take a train out of south station two weeks ago and the bathrooms were unusable because homeless people were living in the stalls. I’m not opposed to having a beer on the train ride home, but the only way this would work is if you had to present a valid train ticket to the clerk before purchase.

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I'm fine with switching former Mexican restaurants into liquor stores, as long as they switch a corresponding number of former liquor stores into Mexican restaurants.

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We'll have lots of drunk commuter rail riders pissing and puking all over the place.

After the recent St. Patrick's Day parade, I saw plenty of 'em at North Station.

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I would so much prefer a bar/restaurant. The TITS at the top of the escalators is standing-room-only for 3 hours in the evening commute every day and is uncomfortably tight.

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Not adverse to a liquor store on principal, but, that's pretty much the only space in South Station for a semi-dedicated restaurant/bar which would be a much better use of the space.

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Aw come on.. St Patrick's Day is an anomaly for this behavior. Stupid fools come from elsewhere and do this crap (or pss) everywhere.

Its not commuters going home that were doing this.

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MA has more alcohol related deaths than opiates last year, but whatever helps you justify your addiction I guess

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Penn Station has loads of places that will sell you an ice cold beer as you head towards your commuter train, all perfectly legal, as is cracking one open on the train. There doesn't seem to be a problem of drunk commuters pissing and puking.

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So long as it's in a bag. Always seemed particularly stupid to make that a requirement when all it did was waste paper.

Although I suppose it prevents people from showing off they do or don't drink expensive beers.

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Not that I took it often but never had an issues with it. Then again that was when there was a bar cart which I have been told doesn't exist anymore.

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That congregates at SS. Sound like a brilliant idea.

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An employee at the CVS in the station told me that shoplifters are stealing items from the store daily. One can only imagine the problems a liquor store will have with shoplifters in the station.

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Sounds like they're trying to get ahead of that:

"Miller added that all the bottles would be behind a counter and that a full-time greeter would open and close the one entrance for customers."

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A single employee in a high crime, high addiction area selling items that lead to high crime and addiction. What could go wrong?

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