Bottoms Up Liquor gains California license for South LA store

Overview

Updated Sep 17

California's liquor regulator recorded a new alcohol retail license in South Los Angeles on August 28. The Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) department listed a type 21 off-sale general permit for Bottoms Up Liquor at 6424 S Vermont Avenue, which allows beer, wine, and spirits to be sold for takeaway.

The approval is a single step, not a green light: it doesn't confirm the store has passed every inspection or opened its doors. But the paperwork is notable on its own, because California caps these licenses by county population and Los Angeles County has long since hit its ceiling. Most new stores don't apply for a fresh license — they buy or transfer an existing one.

Why it matters

California caps each county's liquor store licenses, so this grant is a scarce, transferable asset and a new alcohol outlet for South Los Angeles.

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Key Indicators

Type 21

ABC license class

Off-sale general: permits beer, wine, and spirits sold for consumption off the premises.

Active license at this address

Single record filed August 28, 2026, per ABC licensing reports.

2,500

Residents per off-sale license cap

California law limits each county to one off-sale general license per 2,500 residents.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Organizations Involved

California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

State licensing agency

License issuer and enforcer in this story

The state agency that issues, transfers, and enforces all alcohol licenses in California.

Timeline

1 event Latest: August 28th, 2026 · 2 months ago

August 2026
ABC records license for Bottoms Up Liquor
Latest Licensing

California ABC lists an active type 21 off-sale general permit for Bottoms Up Liquor at 6424 S Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles.
August 28th, 2026

Scenarios

Bottoms Up Liquor opens for business on Vermont Avenue

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Local retail patterns — most type 21 licenses in capped LA County end up in operating stores

The store clears any remaining local requirements and begins selling beer, wine, and spirits. Opening shows up through a functioning storefront, business listings, and a continuously active license status.

License changes hands or address before the store opens

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: ABC license brokerage practice in capped counties

The type 21 license is a transferable asset. The holder may sell it or relocate it without ever running a store at Vermont Avenue, a common outcome where licenses carry significant resale value.

ABC enforcement action targets the new store

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: ABC enforcement history, including the 2022 Bottom's Up Tavern revocation

If the store opens and draws complaints — noise, drug activity, sales to minors — ABC can suspend or revoke the license, as it did with the similarly named Long Beach tavern in 2022.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

March 2022

Bottom's Up Tavern license revocation (2022)

After a March 1 hit-and-run killed a 42-year-old father and his 3-year-old daughter in Long Beach, ABC agents investigated the Bottom's Up Tavern, the bar the suspect allegedly visited before the crash. Undercover agents documented illegal sales of cocaine, ecstasy, oxycodone, and cannabis. ABC revoked the license and ordered it moved outside the city within 180 days.

Then

The tavern closed permanently; the owner signed an agreement accepting the penalty.

Now

The case demonstrated ABC's readiness to pull a license quickly over a disorderly premises.

Why this matters now

It shows the enforcement risk every new license holder carries, and echoes the similar name at a different address.

1935 to present

California's post-Prohibition license cap (1935 onward)

When Prohibition ended, California allowed counties to set alcohol policy but capped license counts by population — one off-sale general license per 2,500 residents. Los Angeles County reached its ceiling decades ago.

Then

New stores in large counties mostly buy or transfer existing licenses rather than obtain new ones.

Now

Licenses became tradeable assets worth significant sums, often exceeding the value of the businesses they serve.

Why this matters now

Explains why this single recorded license matters: it's a scarce, assignable asset, not just a routine permit.