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Another longtime Southie watering hole drying up

The Boston Licensing Board yesterday approved a request from the owners of Quencher, 170A I St., to sell their liquor license to a company that wants to open a Mexican restaurant in the reviving Downtown Crossing.

Boston Restaurant Talk reports Quencher could be shut by November. Its license now goes to the Painted Burro, planned for 35 Temple Pl.

Earlier this year, Aces High in Andrew Square shut down and sold its license to the owner of an artisanal pizza place up in the Seaport area.

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Comments

Still in Windsor Button mourning here!

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It boggles my mind how Boston proper doesn't have any craft or hobby stores. Does no one craft or build model kits/railroads/mini-or play tabletop wargames or D&D type stuff etc. anymore?

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But model railroading has been transitioning over the past ten or so years from kits to "take it out of the box and plunk it down" (known in the hobby as "ready to roll"). This trend, coupled (no pun intended) with the Internet, has served to drive many hobby shops out of business.

The basic reason, from the manufacturer's point of view, is simple economics. Since nearly all the US model railroad manufacturers have shifted their operations to China, they've figured out that manufacturing assembled models costs only pennies per unit extra to produce, but enables them to sell the models for at least twice of what the equivalent kits cost.

Unfortunately, between the higher prices and the elimination of the skill sets once required to build a model railroad, this trend is one of the reasons that fewer and fewer young people are entering - or sticking with - the hobby (video games are another big reason).

Disclaimer - I have been a scale model railroader for the past 40+ years. Was active at the Tech Model Railroad Club (MIT) between 1978 and 1994, and have been active with the North Shore Model Railroad Club (Wakefield) since 1991.

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Don't forget, a lot of these 'interesting' shops don't go out of business, they are often forced out. landlords want more money - not a bad thing, but having rents double or triple will kill an existing business. And Restaurants get the initial capital they can pay these huge rents, even though most of them won't survive long term. Windsor would have survived for many more years there if there was a place they could have rented...

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Very, very, very sad day. Love the Q.

P.s. Does this mean I have to pay my tab?

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A Mexican restaurant in downtown?! Edgy!

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I played for the Quencher Tavern-sponsored team at M Street last season. I categorically deny that my performance had anything to do with this result.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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Sad to hear...the Quencher is the one of the last of a long line of tiny hole-in-the-wall neighborhood 'taverns' that used to be on almost every corner in Southie. Now it's all gastro-pubs. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

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Is they will sell the building, make condos and a new slew of Yupsters are going to move in. I just hope they all have bicycles.

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The Shannon Tavern is still alive, thank gawd.

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how many mexican food spots do we need in downtown

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apparently more than "we" have.

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I know it's some kind of hipster term. But I think it smells of a kind of arrogance. The Quencher has been around a long time. We had many a fun day or evening there with family, neighbors and friends. I know South Boston s a changed neighborhood. Places like this can't seem to survive in the new 'SoBo.' I can't blame the owners for selling. It's their right. I guess we'll have to find somewhere else to play Keno! It will be missed.

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The use of the word "dive" to refer to inexpensive and/or seedy drinking establishments dates back to 1871. Did those 19th century hipsters put the punk in steam or what?

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I remember my dad saying this when I was a kid, 40 years ago.

Who knew Mr. Rural Farmboy was such a total hipster?

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Boston used to have taverns, 6 day license, no Sundays or ladies rooms. There were also beer and wine joints, like the old Johnny's Lunch , across from Westinghouse plant in Readville. Dive , gin mill , beer joint , all the same meant a workingman's bar ,heavy pours with a freebie every now and again, paycheck cashing , steamed hot dogs, then the piggy pizza slices fad .These places were for serious drinking , before craft beers and hipsters. They are dinosaurs , just like shipyards and factories. No more shots of Old T with a Ganset chaser. And wine , forget about it.............. ( except for Eastie, the boys liked the Fortissimo mixed with Orange Crush tonic,bere fino ! )

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then the piggy pizza slices fad

What was this?

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Irish dive bar there called Biddy Early's - sign says "WINE SELECTION red. white." Crappy carpet, waitress calls you dearie and has a perpetual sunburn to match her acid-washed jeans.

You'll love it.

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Without comment of the loss of this bar, or the gain of a mexican restaurant downtown, I have to wonder: could this be an attempt to cash in on the scarcity of liquor licenses in Boston right now?

In my opinion, the current cap on licenses (besides being ridiculous) is a bubble that will burst should the rules ever change. I would consider cashing out if I had a license. Not saying that's what happened here, but...

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If you're sick of running your bar and dealing with upward pressure on rent and provisions, selling a liquor license is a great way to pay down debt or fund a new thing while closing up shop. I don't begrudge those long-timers who probably paid little more than a nominal fee to get their license back in the day. That being said, the cap on liquor licenses is a little absurd, but like so many bits of regulation from the blue law days, I can't see that changing much in the next 10-20 years. Nobody really wants to come out and say "it should be easier to have a drink in Boston" and build the groundswell needed to get the ordinances rescinded.

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