Christy's Will Soon Sell Beer and Wine

Although finding a beer in Harvard Square has never been too difficult. Christy's market plans to make it even easier.

Christy's on the corner of JFK and Mount Auburn Streets, has announced plans to begin selling beer and wine within the next two or three weeks, and construction workers are already remodeling the 24-hour store to accommodate the change, store manager Paul Marino said yesterday.

"We have to install cases and a walk-in cooler," Marino said. The store's going to be set up completely different."

He said the store will continue to stock the food and convenience items it now sells.

Still Open 24 Hours

Although Christy's will still be open 24 hours, beer and wine will only be sold from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., as mandated by state law. Automatic timed locks will secure the alcohol cases during the remaining hours, Marino said.

Marino said Christy's has wanted to sell beer and wine in the past, but Cambridge has limited the number of licenses for alcohol sale in the north Harvard Square area.

Applications for new licenses can take years and are usually unsuccessful, Marino said, adding that it's usually necessary to purchase a license already in existence.

Licenses can cost up to $100,000, and the city must still approve these transactions, Marino said.

"We were approached with a license and asked if we wanted to purchase it, and we decided it would be profitable to the company ' as well as a service to the community," Marino said.

Ned Stanton, Christy's vice-president of audit and budget, said there are 112 Christy's stores in New England, but that Massachusetts state law allows only three licenses to be held per corporation.

For Christy's purchasing a license for Harvard Square meant the company had to sell one of its licenses elsewhere, Stanton said.

But the expected high returns from high student demand justified the decision, Marino said. He added that he hopes students who shop at Christy's anyway will start buying alcohol there to avoid making extra trips.

Competition for 'The Pro'

Then again, the Harvard Provision Co. liquor store, located directly cross the street from Christy's wouldn't be too far out of the way for convenience minded students.

Martin Connealy, manager of Harvard Provision Co., said he's not upset by the new entry into the market." Any competition is healthy competition. We're glad they're able to sell it," he said.