Louie's Granted Temporary License

Harvard students and Cambridge residents will soon be able to purchase forties and champagne at Louie’s Superette on Sundays, following a Cambridge License Commission decision yesterday.

Cheng-san Chen, owner of the popular convenience store near Mather House, applied for the license after receiving a one-year prohibition last March on Sunday liquor sales, issued by the Commission after finding that Chen had intentionally sold alcohol to minors.

The Commission decided to grant Chen a temporary permit, effective March 6.

Because Harvard students comprise most of the superette’s clientele, the Commission decided it will hold an additional hearing in six months, after receiving the University’s input, to determine whether to grant Chen a permanent Sunday liquor license.

Commission Chairman Richard V. Scali said the Commission plans to notify the University that “we intend to grant the license unless they show us a reason not to do so.”

Chen was not present when the Commission released its decision yesterday, but when The Crimson informed him of the ruling, he greeted the news with mixed feelings.

“I don’t understand why there are so many hearings,” he said. “There are so many important things to be done in Cambridge—why are they concentrating on me?”

Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Turner, a member of the Commission, said Chen should not continue to be punished.

“He’s served his penalty, and I believe he’s conformed to the rules,” Turner said.

Other liquor stores have profited from Sunday liquor sales since the amendment of the Massachusetts “blue laws” banning them in 2004. But last year’s ruling prompted Chen to keep his store closed entirely on Sundays because he found that without alcohol—which, he said, comprises about 50 percent of the store’s sales—business was not profitable enough.

According to Chen, Louie’s suffered from a $150,000 drop in sales last year, which forced him to consider closing his store.

Two weeks ago he said he did not think his store could survive if the Commission denied him the Sunday liquor permit.

Chen said the future of his store is still unclear.

“I think business will be better, but I don’t know how much better,” he said.

“The permit is a good sign. But I’ll have to see,” he added.

At the hearing, which took place on Tuesday, Commission members debated granting Chen a license at all.

Scali asked Chen what he does if a minor attempts to buy liquor, saying, “I hope you’ve changed that reputation [that Louie’s] is the place to go to buy alcohol.”

Chen and his lawyer, Shen-Sin Lu, responded by showing the Commission a stack of fake IDs that Chen had collected, saying that he asks everyone buying alcohol for two or three IDs. He also presented the Commission with a petition supporting his case, which he said was signed by over 700 people.

Silvana C. Alvarez ’06 said that the Commission should seek Harvard’s opinion.

“It makes sense for them to have an input. It has to be that way, since Harvard is sort of taking over the community,” Alvarez said.

Rebecca L. Hoffmann ’06, who goes to Louie’s regularly for snacks, said, “They certainly have a right to ask Harvard, but I don’t think it’s something that’s very serious. Louie’s doesn’t really contribute to a drinking problem on campus.”