License Commission approves Moody Street package store change of ownership

This week, the License Commission signed off on a change of ownership for the current Gordon’s Fine Wines at 599 Moody St., which will be changing its name to Moody Street Liquors.

The commission — a three-member board with a police liaison — handles matters surrounding alcohol and food permits. Sandip Patel, the store’s new manager of record, came to the commission to get approval for the transfer of an alcohol sales license obtained by the previous management, as well as for his appointment as manager of record, financing through Eagle Bank and the change of name.

Patel explained he’d been working part-time at Lincoln Liquors in North Billerica since March in preparation to take over the store, and is TIPS certified for alcohol sales.

The board questioned him about how much time he planned to spend at the store as manager of record, and his lawyer confirmed he was planning to quit his current full-time job to spend at least 40 hours at the store every week. He added that the physical building and staff of the store would not be changing.

Patel is also planning to add ID scanners at the store, which met with approval from the members of the commission, who expressed concerns about underage college students from nearby Brandeis and Bentley Universities coming in to buy alcohol.

Patel’s lawyer added that the new management was looking forward to working with the community and hopefully giving back to it as it gets more established.

The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the change of management.

In other business, the commission

• Approved one-day alcohol permits for welcome back events at Bentley and for games throughout the school’s upcoming football and hockey seasons.
• Approved one-day alcohol permits for a wedding, a corporate event for Global Montello Group in the absence of the petitioner, and for a ceremony for new officers of the Boston Commandery Masonic Lodge. The committee voted unanimously to waive the commission’s fees for the last event.
• Granted an extension of premises for Shopper’s Cafe to serve food at the Waltham High School Field Hockey Team’s annual Corn Hole Tournament on September 21.
• Updated an off-premise affirmation of Sunday liquor sales hours to between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., which will go into effect as of January of next year.
  Chair Wayne Brasco clarified that the previous affirmation came about in 2008 as an agreement between established alcohol sellers in Waltham. When state law began allowing alcohol sales on Sundays, the commission affirmed an agreement between existing stores to limit hours to between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.; this update is to reflect stores that have since extended their hours after changes in management.