The Tipsy Librarian’s first brick-and-mortar location is entering the final stages of development as the cocktail class and retail space eyes a late October opening.
One of the final items on the location’s checklist is receiving its alcohol permit. Earlier this month, owner and former librarian Maranda Howell posted a notice of an ABC permit application in a window at the location between Bumble Lane and Salon Eden in the Towne Center at Cedar Lodge.
According to Howell, the notice must be posted through Oct. 1. The ABC Board is expected to give final approval for the license at its next monthly hearing, Oct. 12. Howell says her permit application initially caused confusion when submitted to the Planning Commission.
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“There’s nothing like what I do in the state,” Howell says, explaining that her space was not exclusively a bar, retail or a private event space—but rather a mix of the three.
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She says a good portion of the application process was spent understanding what standards the business, which will supply alcohol for weekly mixology classes with a maximum occupancy of 25, needs to follow.
The Tipsy Librarian’s difficulty in categorization draws parallels to Belli, the former Capitol Grocery in Spanish Town, and the complicated middle ground the business fell into with regard to alcohol permitting as a purveyor of wine but not hard spirits.
This story originally appeared in a Sept. 25 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.