The liquor store on 43rd and Chestnut streets has finally opened its doors.
The Fine Wine & Good Spirits store had its ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday and gave away free samples from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The liquor store is replacing the old adult video store Risque. However, its opening hasn’t always been certain. It was protested heavily, in and out of Zoning Board hearings, and navigated through Pennsylvania’s complex liquor laws before it finally opened. The DP took a look back at the ins and outs of how Penn’s campus got a liquor store again.
Related: After uncertainty, liquor store to open Sept. 10
Feb. 20, 2007: The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board looked to lease the retail space of an old Rite-Aid at 4237 Walnut St. for a new home for the liquor store on 41st and Market streets.
Jan. 16, 2012: The Fine Wine & Good Spirits store on 41st and Market streets closed for good, depriving campus of its one and only liquor store. The store closed due to issues with the landlord and the site itself.
March 2012: A liquor store was scheduled to open at 43rd and Chestnut streets within the next few months, replacing Risque Video. A Spruce Hill Community Association meeting supported the store if the residents’ concerns were addressed.
Related: Liquor store to open at 43rd and Chestnut during summer
April 18, 2012: The Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment denied the liquor store’s application.
June 6, 2012: The Zoning Board heard arguments for and against the store. It brought protest from some members of the Muslim community because of its proximity with the Masjid al-Jamia mosque on 43rd and Walnut streets as well as from residents concerned about the kind of crowd the store would attract.
Related: Local liquor store closed due to issues with the site and landlord
Sept. 10, 2013: After over a year of a liquor-store-free campus, the new store opened its doors. Barry Grossbach, zoning chair of the Spruce Hill Community Association, said the store is much nicer than the previous store at 41st and Market streets.
Staff writer William Marble contributed reporting.
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