How new liquor licenses could reshape Boston neighborhoods

Catch up quick: The city recently awarded 37 of its 225 new liquor licenses.

• The awardees are spread out across multiple neighborhoods, including Hyde Park, Mattapan, Dorchester, Roxbury and East Boston.

Between the lines: Business owners who can afford to buy a Boston liquor license tend to use them for restaurants in the Back Bay, Seaport or other wealthier neighborhoods.

• In the past, some liquor licenses had been sold from owners in Mattapan or Dorchester, meaning each of those purchases meant losing another local establishment selling alcohol in those neighborhoods.
• Case in point: Mattapan had no liquor license for years, until the restaurant Mello Vibez got one.
• The neighborhood now has another restaurant serving alcohol: Blue Mountain Jamaican Restaurant.

Zoom in: The licensees represent a racially and geographically diverse group.

• JustBook-ish, the new bookstore in Fields Corner, won a beer and wine license.
• Little Haiti International Cuisine and Las Delicias Colombia, both in Hyde Park, received full alcohol licenses.
• As did La Parada Dominican Kitchen in Jamaica Plain, Crystal Spoons in Roxbury and Fresh Food Generation in Dorchester.
• Community spaces also received licenses, including the Franklin Park Zoo and Roslindale Substation.

What they're saying: The new wave of licenses is "pretty powerful in increasing economic opportunity and contributing to the vibrancy of the community," in each neighborhood, Obi tells Axios.

What's next: The deadline to apply for the next round of licenses is May 23.