Sheepshead Bay is Sauced

On Saturday a new liquor store, Bay Liquor & Wine, is celebrating its grand opening at the old gas station nook on Knapp Street and Harkness Avenue. Normally I’d be more then happy to welcome a new business to the neighborhood, but when I saw it was another liquor store it got me thinking: Just how many liquor stores do we have in the neighborhood? Didn’t a new one open not more then six months ago at Gerritsen Avenue and Avenue U? And shortly before that on Avenue Z near East 13th Street? I realized we have a whole lot of stores in the area peddling their libations.

Just to give you an idea, here is a short list of places you’ll find liquor stores; GI Liquor World 1709 Voorhies Avenue, Alik Liquor & Wine 1501 Sheepshead Bay Road, The Wine Village 3827 Nostrand Avenue, Tops 2816 Nostrand Avenue, Abyb Liquor 1608 Gravesend Neck Road, and the list goes on. I’m not kidding, it really does.

With all those stores in mind, take a note of the following statistic: Although citywide DWI’s fell 3.4 percent, “The most reckless drivers in Brooklyn are from the southern neighbhorhoods, such as Midwood and Sheepshead Bay, where DWI arrests are up 2.5 percent. Drivers in Sheepshead Bay’s 61st Precinct racked up the most DWI arrests last year – 258, up from 180 in 2007.” And there’s no shortage of alcohol-related accidents around here.

In a part of the city where we already have so many liquor stores, not to mention all the bars and convenience stores that sell alcohol, and where the DWI rate is increasing every year, do we really need yet another store selling alcohol? I’m the last person to suggest that someone should be prevented from opening an honest business and living their life but where exactly do we draw the line? How long before we’re drowning in vodka, and showering in Hennessy?

Readers I want to take a moment here to beg of you: please don’t drink and drive. As some of you may know I drive car service for a living and I can promise you, I’ve seen some truly horrific wrecks due to drunk drivers. Protect yourselves, protect your families, and do the right thing. Bay Liquors, I wish you luck, but not too much.