SNOW HILL – Acknowledging a community need, the Worcester County Board of License Commissioners has agreed to allow Super Soda to sell beer and wine.
On Nov. 16, the board agreed to grant Super Soda’s application for a Class A beer and wine license. More than a dozen community members attended the hearing to show their support for the store’s license application.
Super Soda owner Ronak Patel previously approached the board in February. At that time, board members said his testimony regarding his history with the store (which was previously operated by his father) wasn’t clear and denied his request.
“The application before the board today is essentially the same request,” said attorney Mark Cropper, representing Patel.
Super Soda, opened by Patel’s father more than a decade ago, lost its license to sell alcohol in 2012 after sales to minors. Patel has been running the store since 2013 and wanted to regain the ability to sell alcohol to meet the needs of Super Soda’s customers.
When Patel applied for a license earlier this year, an attorney representing Food Rite and Town Market Basket voiced a variety of objections at the hearing. He argued that another business selling alcohol would compete with the town’s existing licensees and pointed out inconsistencies in Patel’s testimony. In the end, the board denied Patel’s request, citing the confusing testimony.
Cropper said Wednesday that while the board had denied the license request at that time, it had not made a finding regarding community need. Just as they did in February, many local residents accompanied Patel to the hearing to show their support of the store’s application. Some of those present, such as Gary Weber and Khurram Riaz, hold licenses themselves and said they weren’t worried that the addition of another beer and wine store in Snow Hill would hurt their business. Patel provided the board with a letter of support from Snow Hill Mayor Charlie Dorman as well as with a petition signed by 143 customers.
No one present objected to the application and the board quickly agreed to grant Patel’s request — a decision that was greeted with applause from those in attendance. William Esham, chairman of the board, did remind Patel that he had certain duties as a license holder.
“You understand the responsibility you’re taking and the problems we’ve had with some of your family in the past,” he said. “We don’t want that.”
