Marty Olmstead
and Bonnie Durrance
Scrooge came early to the Sonoma Plaza this year, in the form of a notification that the California Bureau of Alcoholic Beverage Control was revoking the alcohol license of a longtime downtown business. Plaza Liquors must stop selling alcohol on Dec. 1.
Co-owner Joey Gregory said she was “shocked” when she read the notice. She said the store had been caught in a “sting” operation for selling liquor to minors, but that none of the owners had been involved. “The stings (minors trying to buy alcohol) all happened with our night crew,” she said. “We had trained them, but I guess it wasn’t enough.”
Gregory described three violations, one of which occurred in 2004 and the other two in 2006. “The first time, a lady was yelling at our clerk while he was waiting on a customer, and he got flustered and sold her a bottle of beer. The second time, the clerk didn’t ask for ID. He looked at the customer and the customer looked old enough. The third time, the clerk asked for ID, and even used a magnifying glass, but still misread the birthdate.”
According to the ABC penalty schedule, the first such violation results in a 15-day suspension, the second violation within 36 months results in a 25-day suspension, and the third violation within 36 months results in revocation of the license. The rules further dictate that the license may not be sold or transferred, even to Gregory’s son, John, who has managed the business for years. Gregory expressed frustration. “But they won’t allow the sale. It’s not a very level playing field,” she said.
The store will remain open, but alcohol will no longer be sold. How long that will be viable remains a question. “You have to sell a lot of candy bars to make our lease payment,” Gregory said. Urged to reveal just how much candy that might be, she suggested roughly $7,000 worth. “We feel it is punitive, but it’s just one of those things,” she said. “Maybe we were just meant to take another road.”
