Wines & More Expansion Meets Resistance

The one year old big-box liquor giant in the Mansfield Crossing shopping center is doing fine, according to attorney Ed Valanzola, who spoke to selectmen Wednesday night.

"They're not in trouble - they are quite successful, quite strong," he said.

But store owner Glenn Thompson wants to borrow money from a bank now, and in a highly unusual move, asked selectmen through his attorney to allow the liquor license granted to the store when it opened to be used as collateral for the loan.

Even though Valanzola assured the board any sale or transfer of the license to anyone must meet the board's approval, several of the members were not buying it, saying a liquor license is not to be treated like currency.

"We're furnishing an asset to bail out a business," said George Dentino.

Wines & More has only been open about a year, and already has experienced push-back from the community when they sought to transfer their liquor license from another establishment, Mansfield Deli and Variety on Pratt Street.

The license transfer was held up all last summer due to objections from local liquor store owners and town residents. The Alcohol Beverages and Control Commission finally issued a ruling in early September, allowing the transfer of the all-alcohol license from the deli to the Rhode Island based superstore.

At the same time the town granted a wine and malt license to the deli, to substitute for the wider license they were not fully using.

"I know there are rumors around town," said Valanzola. "But he's just trying to line up financing."

Valanzola said Thompson had put $1.5 million of his own money into the store, and now was looking to expand to improve cash flow. The 17,200 square foot building is the former home of Linens and Things, and sits in a block of similar big box establishments in the rear of the three-year-old shopping center.

"If it satisfies the requirements of Mass General Laws, you should approve it," Valanzola said.

He added that the town had allowed the pledge of licenses in the past, and board administrative assistant Karen Doucette confirmed that, but said it had been a long time since Mansfield had seen such an arrangement.

"It's done regularly, so I didn't think it would be an issue," Valanzola said.

Wayne Smith, manager of on Route 106, said putting a liquor license out as collateral was using it as a line of credit.

Peter De Trolio, owner of , said he had called the ABCC himself.

"They said it's perfectly legal, but it's rarely done," he said, adding he had held a liquor license himself since 1980 and could not remember any license owner using that mechanism.

"I do think that this license is at risk, once money is borrowed against it," he said.

The board has put off any decision on the request until next Wednesday's meeting, and Town Manager Bill Ross will confer with Town Counsel in the meantime to ascertain the legality and possible consequences of the request for a pledge of license.