NORTHAMPTON — An auction for an all-alcoholic beverage license in the city is scheduled for Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the Hotel Northampton.
The license was last used by the former One Bar & Grill, which pledged it to PeoplesBank in exchange for a $175,000 loan as collateral. That was done at a June 4, 2014, License Commission meeting. PeoplesBank has called in their pledge on the license.
One Bar & Grill was located at 1 Pearl St. and closed in 2016. The building was formerly home to Tully O’Reilly’s.
A representative for PeoplesBank said the bank determined that an auction is the best way to sell the license. The auction is being conducted by the Aaron Posnik & Co. auction house.
The last liquor license auctioned off in Northampton, a license formerly utilized by Diva’s Nightclub, sold for $62,500. In that case, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue chose to auction the license after its owner, Lori Conte, failed to pay some $42,000 in taxes. Volkan Polatol, owner of Mulino’s and Bishop’s Lounge in Northampton, won the license.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.