High Street Market Eyes Beer, Wine Sales

Come the summer, Westwood residents could, for the first time, have a local venue to shop for beer and wine. 

That venue is , and a liquor license application submitted by owner Liz Adams was approved by the Westwood Board of Selectmen Monday night. 

"I'm excited," Adams said Tuesday afternoon. "Westwood has always been dry."

Save for the alcohol served at such area restaurants as , , and , there is no current establishment in Westwood that sells pacakged beer or wine. 

Still, it could be Memorial Day before the products are on hand, Adams said, as the license will need to be finalized by the state's Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

The aisle to the far right of High Street Market will be the main section to store the alcohol, Adams said, and to begin, she will stock all products in that area, as opposed to keeping surplus stocked in the rear of the store. One of the beverage coolers will also be used to hold beer and wine.

"That will be a big thing for people because they want to take it with them," said Adams, who plans to rearrange some of the chips and other products to make room for the beer and wine. "I have a lot of un-utilized space."

As to what kinds of products she'll have on hand, Adams said she will gauge it on customer demand and input. Products, she said, would range from red and white wines to six and perhaps 12 packs of beer. Anything larger, she said, would be for customers looking for a larger value that they could find elsewhere. 

The Selectmen's approval of the license came with a number of conditions:

• That all employees over 21 who will sell alcohol at the market are certified through Training and Intervention Procedures for Servers of alcohol (T.I.P.S.).
• That High Street Market receive final sign off from the Westwood Board of Health
• That the Selectmen receive demonstrated proof of contact with the operators of the nearby Montessori School, and that the school is given the opportunity to respond by April 4. 
• That the Selectmen make the determination in writing that the license would not be detrimental to the educational activity of the and Montessori Schools. 

Louise Rossi, Westwood's Alcohol Licensing Coordinator, said Monday night that the current law states that if there is a church, school or hospital within 500 feet of an establishment looking to obtain a liquor license, they are to be notified. So far, all abutters and others have been notified of the move, and the only one remaining is the Montessori School.

In terms of alcohol safety, neither Westwood officials nor Adams plan on being lenient when it comes to any types of violations.

"I like to follow the rules," said Adams, who not only plans to install a state-of-the-art identification check system at the store, she plans to say the same thing she tells people who don't have an ID for cigarettes:

"If you don't have it, I'm sorry. There's the door."

Moreover, Adams said she plans to speak with the company who runs the surveillance cameras in the shop to aim focus on the area where the alcohol will be stored, in order to better enforce employees. 

Westwood Police Chief William Chase, who was present at the Selectmen's meeting Monday night, said there will certainly be more enforcement from the if need be to deal with any potential violations or to monitor parking, a concern expressed by one resident Monday night.

"We frequently have officers in that area and now this is just one more thing that they would have on their radar, so to speak," Chase said. "The sale may be to somebody over 21, but what we need to make sure is that there isn't then a transfer outside, off the premises, which is completely outside of the control of the licensee, but something we need to be vigilant about."

Rick Goode, who is the landlord for the High Street Market, commended Adams and said the move would be good for her business. 

"Anybody who has gone into her store since she took the place over knows that Liz runs the store very meticulously," Goode said. "As the landlord, she's a very conscientious tenant. I'm sure if this is granted, she'll be very conscientious with the sale of beer and wine."

Selectmen Clerk Nancy Hyde reiterated the comment, acknowledging Adams' vigilance, but warned that the town would not be lenient if and when a violation to occur.

"We've take a long time to get to this point," Hyde said. "We've taken this series of small, cautious steps, and I think having your business take the first step, we want it done right."