No liquor at Basic Tease

An Old-Market-area lingerie and adult novelty shop won't serve cocktails to bachelorettes — at least anytime soon — under a unanimous decision Tuesday by the Omaha City Council.

Basic Tease Boutique had asked the council for permission to sell alcohol inside the store at 512 S. 13th St. The application sought permission to sell beer, wine and spirits, but no package liquor.

Some Old Market business owners and residents objected, saying an adult store and alcohol weren't a good fit for an area that draws many families.

“Basic Tease is a retail store. It's not a bar,'' owner Tamara Heasler-Webster told council members Tuesday.

Even so, Councilman Chris Jerram said, he could not support the application.

“I'm not persuaded that it's in the best interests of the neighborhood,” said Jerram, whose district includes the Old Market.

Jerram recommended to Heasler-Webster that she hire a caterer who has a liquor license if she wants to hold special events at the store.

The City Council acts in an advisory capacity on liquor licenses. The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission has the final say on granting licenses. That means Heasler-Webster can still make her case before state liquor officials.

Basic Tease moved downtown seven months ago, after five years at 120th and Blondo Streets.

Heasler-Webster has said she hopes to cater to bachelorette parties that might stop in during a downtown bar crawl or to patrons who want to have a quick drink while they shop.

She said alcohol would be a nice addition to the pole dancing classes and fashion shows that the store already offers.

In other business, the council voted against requiring three convenience stores to submit formal applications before the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission.

Neighbors and an alcohol awareness group had complained of trash and other problems at three Midtown Gas & Grocery locations: 2302 S. 13th St., 1222 S. 24th St. and 1349 Park Ave.

But council members said the neighbors' concerns did not rise to the level requiring the business to undergo the “long form'' liquor application and thus face more scrutiny.

Council President Garry Gernandt, however, asked store managers to remove large advertising signs that covered the windows. He cited safety concerns.

“That just grabs my chest hairs,” he said of the signs.

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