Main Street Social Club Approved To Sell Alcohol

BEL AIR, MD — A members-only lounge for military and police and their families will be opening at Thomas Run Station near Main Street Cigar. Managing member Elliot D. Kleinman is calling it the Main Street Social Club, and it was granted approval for a liquor license Wednesday to sell beer, wine and liquor.

More than a year ago, the Harford County Liquor Control Board added "social organizations" to its list of permitted licensees. Kleinman's attorney said he was the first to apply in this category.

The Class C-3 license allows social organizations to sell beer, wine and liquor if they have at least 100 members paying dues of at least $200 per member annually and more than 51 percent of their members are military, police or spouses or children of military or police. To get this license, an organization must maintain a list of members, have a server on-site who has completed alcohol awareness training and limit access to those over 21 years of age through electronic security, among other requirements.

Main Street Social Club will be set up in a back room accessible by key card, Kleinman told the liquor board members at their Wednesday meeting, held by teleconference due to the new coronavirus. Maryland is under a stay-at-home order, with residents only to go out for jobs deemed essential by the government or for some other essential purpose such as to get food.

"What we have is a private lounge," Kleinman told the liquor board of his vision for Main Street Social Club. Members will have key cards and access codes to get into the lounge, where a small bar will be open with a bartender. "You have to go through a locked door as a member or a member’s guest to get to the bar area," Kleinman said. Hours have not been determined yet.

Members must be at least 21 years old. Most of his clientele are "older middle-aged men," his attorney said, "a lot of them with security backgrounds" as well as veterans and police.

Despite its liquor license being approved by the liquor board Wednesday morning, Main Street Social Club will not be opening right away.

Main Street Cigar is going into its fourth week of being closed, Kleinman said Wednesday, April 8. He said he has gone in for an hour or two each day to do maintenance at his store. Nonessential businesses were ordered closed by the governor March 23 in an effort to keep people from spreading the new coronavirus.

“I can’t foresee before June," Kleinman said of when Main Street Social Club will open. "I’m going to take the month of May to reorganize."

Main Street Social Club will be at Main Street Cigar, 2217 East Churchville Road, Suite C, Bel Air, MD 21014.