Peabody Albanian Club Denied In Liquor License Bid: City Council

PEABODY, MA — The Albanian Boston Community Center on Howley Street was denied in its attempt to remove a special permit provision barring alcohol from its club — in what organizers hoped would be the first step toward obtaining a liquor license — in a unanimous vote of the Peabody City Council.

The club was penalized with a three-month shutdown earlier this year after being caught serving alcohol in violation of the permit and subsequently changed organization leadership.

The City Council voted unanimously at its show-cause hearing in June to allow the club to reopen after it agreed to change its management structure to include a new board of directors with restaurant and business experience, hire employees that would be on the premises at all times when members are there, and that no alcohol will be sold or consumed at the location.

Attorney John Keilty argued before the City Council on Thursday that a vote to remove the permit condition would not allow alcohol at the club, only provide a path for the club to apply for a license to serve, but there was no support for that course of action on the Council.

Ward 3 City Councilor Stephanie Peach made the motion to deny the permit change after she said the liquor prohibition was a specific condition of the original special permit granted in January 2022 and in contradiction to what the founders said was the mission of the club to have a place "for coffee, and gathering, and community."

"I want to provide a community for these residents because this is so important," Peach said, "and the pitch that was given in January of 2022 was excellent. Had the pitch been different. Had the pitch been truthful that the endgame was to become a social club with a liquor license I would have expressed that I don't think this location is appropriate."

The club is located in a shared space with two churches with Peach saying the "space isn't really big enough for a club of this size."

A state inspection in December found boxes of empty beer bottles on the floor, a 15-foot bar in the common area, and a refrigerator that could be used for alcohol storage.

The inspection also found beverage purchase receipts for drinks costing in excess of $6 when the club claimed it would be serving only coffee, water and specialty juices.

The club unsuccessfully appealed the 90-day suspension and then served the full suspension before successfully asking to reopen the space in the spring.

"I really want this club to work," Peach said. "I really want a social club location for the Albanian community. There is such a strong community there in Ward 3, in the rest of Peabody, and on the North Shore, which is why I was very happy this was one of the first of the special permits I put before the Council and was able to pass on a unanimous vote.

"For a club of this size to be open the hours they operate with alcohol consumption is inappropriate, I am of the opinion."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)