By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.
The Everett Licensing Board conditionally approved a liquor license transfer on Monday night, Oct. 23, for the Castillo nightclub on Ferry Street, as long as the new owners pass building, fire-code inspections and submit a new floor plan to the Commission for approval.
The license transfer approval clears the way for the new owners, the Brahim Group LLC, to go forward with their purchase and sale of the property and begin making the plans to reopen the club as a Hookah Lounge and Cigar Bar.
Board of License Chairman Phil Antonelli told the prospective new owners that he is “glad the current establishment is moving on, they’ve brought nothing but headaches to the city,” and suggested that the new owners should do more to open the space up and focus on the tobacco end of their business.
Castillo, which is currently located at 355 Ferry St., in the second floor of the building, has been a source of controversy and police enforcement issues over its history. The first floor establishment, formerly La Barra and now a sports bar, has a lease, and will remain open under its current ownership and management.
According to the new owners, their goal is to open a first class Hookah Bar and Lounge on the second floor, which is likely to attract a largely Indian population and bring “a cosmopolitan touch” to the neighborhood. They have plans to invest more than $1 million into the property, mainly to re-design the second floor interior.
The new owners agreed with the Board of License Commissioners that updating the exterior of the building might also be considered “down the road” after the new establishment has opened and started to build a client base.
The Public Hearing on the license transfer was uneventful, as no members of the public attended the hearing or asked to speak about the project either in support or opposition.