SNOW HILL — At this month’s Board of License Commissioners (BLC) meeting, one new license, two license upgrades and two license transfers were approved.
The most notable application before the board Wednesday was from Anthony’s Beer and Wine at 3300 Coastal Highway in Ocean City. Owner John Christ requested that the BLC add permission for the off-sale of liquor to his license so that he could re-christen the store Anthony’s Beer, Wine and Liquor.
Getting off-sale privileges from the board can be a challenge, especially in the crowded Ocean City market, but attorney Joe Moore, on behalf of Christ, underscored the unique position Anthony’s is in as it is located directly in the middle of the longest stretch of Ocean City without off-sale.
“So I believe that shows that we are in an excellent place to serve the accommodation of the public which is not presently being accommodated,” said Moore.
Moore also highlighted the store’s record is nearly spotless. There was a sale to a minor violation in 2010, but it was the exception, not the rule. Anthony’s even received a nod of support from Ocean City Police Department Sgt. Doug Smith.
“I think they’re fully capable of upgrading their license,” he told the board, “and I wouldn’t have any reservations about any issues that would develop. They do a very good job in their enforcement efforts.”
The board agreed and upgraded Anthony’s from a Class A to a Class D license, which will allow them the ability to off-sale beer, wine and liquor. Under the provisions of a Class D license, a 25-seat bar must be added within the store.
Receiving a less significant upgrade than Anthony’s, The Crab Bag at 130th Street and Coastal Highway, Ocean City, was granted permission to extend their license into a second-story addition. There was some opposition to this upgrade from nearby J/R’s Ribs.
The new addition will bring Crab Bag to about 420 seats with only 44 parking spaces. While this has been cleared by Ocean City, Evelyn Halligan, J/R’s manager and representative at the hearing, told the board there are concerns about the addition negatively impacting parking.
“I just can’t understand how we can work this out with the parking because a lot of the people try to park in our parking lot,” she said.
However, the BLC felt that parking qualifications were met and approved the upgrade.
The board also approved a new Class B beer, wine and liquor license for the Blacksmith at 104 Pitts Street in Berlin. The restaurant will feature 74 seats, an emphasis on local Eastern Shore recipes and is looking to open by the second week of March. There was no opposition either present or written and the license was approved.
The final applications that the BLC approved were a pair of license transfer requests. The first was for a transfer of a Class B beer, wine and liquor license from the Harrison Group, Inc. to Touch of Italy at 6600 Coastal Highway.
The second transfer was from Castaway’s General Store, Inc. to Sun TRS LL Castaways, LLC.