We are on the downward slide of summer; I figure the 4th of July as being the pinnacle and as the pendulum moves it begins its downward slide. We just emerged from an inferno of blistering heat, but it seems to have subside for now. This winter we will remember it fondly.
The city is very quiet, with of course the exception of the North End. That seems to be the center of interest right now; the most recent being a stabbing at North Side Liquors. I am sure there is undercover work underway to settle those issues; our police department never sleeps.
Now the paper (globe) tells us the city is thinking of denying the renewal of Ally Katz liquor license. Do it. I vote to shut the place down. I ran three establishments in this city where liquor was served and I can speak with some knowledge on that matter. You harvest what you plant. The bars I ran never had problems with a clientele that caused trouble. Why was that? Because we set the demeanor of the space; one way was to raise the prices; people who are hard core drinkers want the most bang for the buck…often just five-cents more will be all that is needed, twenty-five cents more and they won’t even drive past let along come in.
It isn’t the fault of the furniture or the booze, it falls directly on the owner operator who either want to cater to a disruptive crowd or not. This woman who runs this place should have known where she was before she sold her first drink. She’s in the North End not Disneyland, what the hell was she thinking? Now she wants some sort of “special consideration” by the council saying she was discriminated against….I don’t think so.
If you own the bar and you do not want certain people to come in, you can legally keep them out. Bad judgement is not grounds for a free pass.
That place has been a catalyst for hoodlums and up to now she allowed it. For decades bar owners have hire “bouncers” to enforce their rules. I can name server bars in this city who employed this practice and it worked; trouble makers go to where there is the least resistance to their bullying, if they feel there is someone there who can and will challenge ledge them, they will either alter their behavior or go elsewhere. Maybe a 90 day suspension to cool off and regroup might be a good solution.
Peter Children
