Prince Frederick, MD – The owners of five Calvert County liquor stores came before the local Board of License Commissioners (Liquor Board) Thursday, Aug. 24 to answer for citations for sales to underage customers. In each case the underage customer was a member of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office cadets, who was not asked to show identification by the clerks. All five stores—Ken-Mar Liquors, Fox Run Liquors, Town Center Beer & Wine, Neall’s Wine & Spirits and 260 BP—were ordered to pay fines. Additionally, some of the locations had their licenses temporarily suspended with the potential of a longer suspension period held in abeyance for one year.
The severest punishments were given to Ken-Mar Liquors, due to the fact the store had a similar violation in early 2016; and Town Center Beer and Wine. Ken-Mar’s attorney, Larry Cumberland, told the board the clerk responsible for the latest violation has been terminated. Cumberland asked that rather than suspending the store’s license for several days, the board should levy a higher fine. The suspension would mean closing the store, which would hurt employees. The higher fine, he said, would punish the owner. Board Member Beth Swoap told the store’s owners, “in March 2016 we were very generous to you. It does not seem to have made the point.” Swoap moved to impose a $1,000 fine, impose a 30-day suspension and hold all but two days in abeyance for one year. The motion was unanimous. Town Center Beer and Wine was also fined $1,000 and given a 30-day suspension, with all but two days held in abeyance for one year.
The board levied $500 fines against the other stores. Fox Run Liquors was given a three-day license suspension with two days held in abeyance for one year.
New store coming to Dunkirk
The liquor board granted a Class A, Off Sale, Beer, Wine and Liquor license to Jalaram Beverages LLC, trading as Apple Greene Wine and Spirits. The owners, Kushal Patel and Naomi D. Williams, explained that the store is to be located in the soon-to-be-built Shoppes of Apple Greene in Dunkirk. The store will be 3,700 square-feet and located near a new Harris-Teeter grocery store. In order to reach a lease agreement with the property landlord and ECHO Realty, the store owners needed to obtain a liquor license.
Both Patel, who lives in Columbia and works as a subcontractor for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and Williams, a longtime Calvert resident; have considerable experience in the liquor sales business.
Apple Greene Wine and Spirits’ attorney, Denise Bowman, presented data to the liquor board that indicated traffic trends of Dunkirk residents show a tendency to leave Calvert to shop. Having another liquor store in the community and as part of the new shopping center might help keep more consumers within the county.
Williams, who has been an assistant manager at a liquor store, agreed that the area could support a new location. She also told the board the new store would have policies in place to avoid any inadvertent sales of alcohol to anyone under age. “We will card everybody,” Williams said.
Liquor Board Chairman Robert Arscott told Patel, Williams and Bowman that since the store hasn’t even been built and has almost a year before it can begin operations, the panel could only grant them a conditional approval. The board voted unanimously to grant the conditional approval.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com