April 12, 2014 By Christian Murray
The LIC Flea & Food received the green light from Community Board 2 to sell wine and beer at its popular market.
The community board approved the LIC Flea & Food’s plan to cordon off a section of its 46th Avenue and 5th Street location for the purposes of selling wine and beer. The area will be contained, and attendees will not be able to leave the designated section with an alcoholic beverage.
The approval of the community board is a significant step for the operators, since board approval usually means a license is granted by the state without much in the way of delay.
The entrance and exit to the drinking section will be monitored by security. There will be a 5th Street entrance directly into the bar area–and an entrance within the confines of the market.
The drinking section will be comprised of 92 seats—which will surround a 20 foot bar. It will take up about 1/4 of the 24,000 square foot parking lot that is used for the market.
The LIC Flea & Food will have a license to sell wine and beer four days per week (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday) but only on days when the market is open. The market is open between the hours of 10 am- 6 pm.
Initially, the operators of the LIC Flea & Food sought approval for a full liquor license but scaled it back to wine and beer. Initial concerns about the flea’s distance to PS/IS 78Q were not viewed as problematic since the nearest school entrance was more of a service entrance—as opposed to a major entry point.
The operators of the LIC Flea still have plans to rehabilitate an old car ferry next to Anable Basin and obtain a liquor license. The vessel would be open 7 days per week, with the goal of being open until 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays.
However, Joshua Schneps, the founder of LIC Flea & Food and co-publisher of the Queens Courier, said that he wants to focus on the market first and revisit the vessel once he has built a good track record with the flea.
4 Comments
That is great! So glad to hear and glad the board is supporting the community and vendors. Apparently it’s a big cheers to YEA to drunk parents and dogs!! Lol, love it! The board did well with this decision.
A great development for the Flea!
Great – Now we will have people enjoying our great neighborhood flea with a beer in hand to cool them down. Good job LIC Flea!
Great – Now we will have drunk parents with babies and dogs.