New Liquor Store Replaces Decker's
Bel Air's latest liquor store, Discount Liquor, replaces another.
After sitting vacant for more than a year, the former location of Decker's Wine and Spirits in Bel Air is once again open for business as liquor store.
Discount Liquor opened Dec. 5 at 401 Baltimore Pike, a store manager told Patch Wednesday.
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The location has been a point of concern for Harford County Liquor Control Board since 2011. In June of that year, the liquor board denied Decker's a liquor license and banned licensees Joseph Borromeo and Virgil Dale Davis from serving again in Harford County.
The licensees were found guilty of three charges in a May 18 hearing: failing to keep complete and accurate records of alcoholic purchases, buying alcoholic beverages from someone other than a wholesaler and making any material false statement for application of a license.
The store's partial owners later "pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges of extortion," according to a story on ExploreHarford.com.
The checkered past of Decker's came back to haunt the new liquor license applicants during board hearings in October. Board member Michael Thomson said he believed the board should pay close attention to the new business because it may have a connection to the former licensee, the ExporeHarford.com story states.
The board ultimately voted 3-2 in favor of granting PAS Corporation, trading as Discount Liquor, a license. Board member Sandi Tunney and Chairman Donald Hess voted against granting the license, the story states.
Otto Schmidlap
11:03 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
Booze stores and bars are the ruination of Bel Air. Bring back the dispensary!
Chris
4:00 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013
People who can't handle their booze and bars are the ruination of Bel Air and general society. Some of us can handle our spirits intelligently.
Kevin Michel
2:05 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
We need this location selling liquor like we need an open air drug mart in the Target parking lot. We have way more places to buy booze in Bel Air than we need now, and it is just too close to the high school. I was shocked when I saw where Bel Air Liquors was opening. This is just asking for trouble. I hope the Liquor board is very aggressive in supervising their compliance.
Take Responsibility!
7:07 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
They need to make MJ legal and open dispensaries instead. Alcohol and alcoholics are killing our family members.