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Whitebeard is offline
Join Date: May 2003
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Hair salon faces charges for serving beer
At around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a Danvers undercover detective was served alcohol at the Whiskers hair salon, a new establishment on Route 114 that caters to men.
Whiskers does not have a license to serve liquor.
The detective's visit followed an attempt by the Danvers Herald to verify a tip that the salon, which opened in the spring, was serving alcohol without a license. Questioned Wednesday morning about the salon, Danvers police had received no complaints.
That interview, however, spurred police to send Danvers Detective Stephen Baldassare to Whiskers for a haircut. Baldassare later said he posed as a client and was offered beer by Whiskers staff. No one was arrested at the time, but charges are pending, Danvers Police Capt. Neil Ouellette said Wednesday afternoon.
Under Massachusetts law, distribution of alcoholic beverages in places other than a residence is "prima facie" (at first view) evidence that the beverage is for sale, according to William Kelley Jr., general counsel for the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission. Penalties for such can range from a $100 to $1,000 fine and/or a prison term of up to one year.
On Thursday, Aug. 28, this reporter, responding to a tip that Whiskers was serving alcohol without a license, visited the salon and made an appointment, giving a false occupation when asked about his job, and was served two cups of beer.
With a wide-screen television, indoor putting green, plush leather couches, assortment of men's magazines and attractive stylists, Whiskers aims to be a destination for the same male clientele that favors Maxim Magazine, co-owner Richard Petipas told the Danvers Herald in a February interview.
Petipas said he hoped to do for haircuts what Hooters did for chicken wings.
During that first interview, Petipas was asked if he would seek a liquor license, in order to serve beer, as do similar establishments that were researched by this reporter via the Internet. Petipas responded that he would not, as a liquor license would be too expensive.
Interviewed following the Wednesday visit from police, an irate Petipas said he had not investigated the possibility of a liquor license, nor did he have any plans to do so. He said he did not recall this reporter's earlier query regarding liquor licenses.
Petipas said he began offering beer at the request of clients who weren't satisfied with the selection of non-alcoholic complementary drinks offered at Whiskers. He said other businesses have offered wine and champagne to their female clientele, so he did not see the harm of offering beer to his clients.
"The owners of Whiskers had no intention of doing anything illegal," Petipas said during an interview. "The owners thought it would be a complementary service to add beer to their menu, because men prefer beer over wine and champagne."
Asked whether he had thought to ensure his staff could practice identification checks to ensure they didn't serve anybody under age 21, Petipas said he had not.
"I will put in an identification check for snot-nosed reporters looking to make a mark," Petipas said.
This reporter was not immediately offered alcohol by Whiskers staff during his Aug. 28 undercover visit. Upon entering, he was offered an array of non-alcoholic drinks and chose a Coca-Cola. Two, possibly three, men in Whiskers were drinking from plastic cups and this reporter questioned a man drinking from one just outside the front door.
This dark-haired man had just spoken to an older couple who'd passed by the salon and peered in, seemingly out of curiosity as to what went on inside.
"I tried to talk them inside," he told the reporter with a shrug.
When asked what he was drinking, the man, who later introduced himself as a part-owner, replied simply, "a Coke."
"I thought you could get a beer in this place," the reporter replied.
The man then offered a beer. This reporter accepted and was led to the back break room of Whiskers, where he was poured a glass of beer from one of more than a dozen bottles stored in a refrigerator there. The co-owner said he thought the reporter might have been a cop. He did not check identification.
The reporter then sat down for a $23 hair cut.
During his interview this Wednesday, Petipas touted Whiskers as "a good neighbor in the community," which donates time to charitable causes and offers discount haircuts to police and firefighters.
"Whiskers and the staff look forward to continuing to serve the men of Danvers and the North Shore for their hair care needs with their exceptional service and fun environment," Petipas said.
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