Margin St. Convenience Store Looks to Sell Beer, Wine

Beer and wine in the East End? That’s what the owners of are hoping the City Council will agree to later this month.

The council has received a special permit application from A&R Convenience, Inc., which owns the store at 44 Margin St., to allow beer and wine sales seven days a week.

The convenience store is situated in 1,000 square feet within a small retail plaza with a salon and pizza shop on either side. is nearby and is across the street in a neighborhood otherwise surrounded by single-family homes, and lots of traffic during rush hour.

The property is in a business neighborhood (BN) zoning district and therefore requires approval from the council for the sale of alcohol. If the council were to grant the permit, approval would then be needed from the Licensing Board.

Peabody attorney John Keilty is representing the petitioner, A&R Convenience, Inc. President Arvind Patel.

The regular business hours now at Gardner Park Variety are 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. daily. Proposed hours for alcohol sales are 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Ward 3 Councilor Rico Mello says he will wait to hear from the neighbors before forming an opinion on the application. A public hearing will be scheduled in the coming weeks, but no specific date was set last Thursday during the council meeting.

Mello noted there are no other package stores in the immediate area now; residents either have to go downtown or into Salem or Danvers to buy beer and wine. The nearest shops are in Danversport and on Tremont Street, which are both just under a mile away.