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First Stop Liquor applies for off-sale license in Los Angeles

First Stop Liquor applies for off-sale license in Los Angeles

Rule Changes Los Angeles, CA local

New applicant at 7707 Crenshaw Blvd requests a type 21 license; the prior tenant faced a state tobacco seizure in 2025

September 20th, 2026: First Stop Liquor application appears on ABC list

Overview

Updated Sep 20

A corner store at 7707 Crenshaw Blvd is seeking a new liquor license under the name First Stop Liquor. The application appeared on the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control's licensing report on September 20, 2026, listed as applied for, not approved.

The address's prior tenant, Chan Mi Corp doing business as Food Land Liquor, had 744 flavored tobacco and vape items seized by state tax officials on October 1, 2025. The new application puts the same location back under regulatory review.

No decision has been announced. The outcome turns on whether the ABC treats First Stop Liquor as a genuinely new business or ties it to the earlier violations at the address.

Why it matters

A Crenshaw corner store that lost flavored tobacco to a state seizure is seeking a fresh liquor license under a different name.

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Key Indicators

744
Seized flavored tobacco and vape items
732 units of vape/tobacco products plus 12 packs of cigarettes seized from Food Land Liquor at this address on Oct 1, 2025.
Type 21
License type sought
Off-sale general license for beer, wine, and spirits sold to take away.
Not issued
License status
Application pending approval as of September 20, 2026.

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Organizations Involved

First Stop Liquor
First Stop Liquor
Retail Business
Applicant for California ABC license

Proposed liquor retailer at 7707 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles.
Food Land Liquor (Chan Mi Corp)
Food Land Liquor (Chan Mi Corp)
Retail Business
Subject of CDTFA seizure; current operating status unknown

Prior operator of a grocery and liquor store at 7707 Crenshaw Blvd.
California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
State regulatory agency
Reviewing application

State agency that licenses and regulates alcohol sales in California.
California Department of Tax and Fee Administration
California Department of Tax and Fee Administration
State Agency
Tobacco enforcement authority

State tax agency that also enforces California's flavored tobacco restrictions.

Timeline

October 2025 September 2026

2 events Latest: September 20th, 2026 · 2 months ago

  1. First Stop Liquor application appears on ABC list

    Latest Licensing

    California ABC licensing report lists an application for a type 21 off-sale general license for First Stop Liquor at the same address. Status is applied for, not issued.

  2. State seizes flavored tobacco at Crenshaw address

    Enforcement

    CDTFA confiscated 744 units of flavored tobacco and vape products from Food Land Liquor at 7707 Crenshaw Blvd under Business and Professions Code section 22980.

Scenarios

1

ABC approves First Stop Liquor license without conditions

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Standard ABC processing; prior enforcement against a different legal entity at the same address is not automatically disqualifying for a new applicant

The ABC completes its routine review: criminal background check, local zoning compliance, and public comment window. If no objections surface and the applicant is a genuinely new entity, the license could be issued within a few months. The prior tobacco seizure alone would not block the application.

2

License denied or withdrawn

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Possible if ABC finds the applicant is controlled by the same people behind Food Land Liquor, or if the City of Los Angeles raises zoning objections

The ABC can refuse a license if it concludes the applicant is a successor to a prior violator or if the premises have a history of unlawful activity. The City of Los Angeles could also contest the application if the site lacks the proper conditional use permit required for off-sale alcohol sales in its zoning district.

3

Approved with conditions after city review

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Los Angeles Municipal Code requirements for off-sale alcohol in commercial districts; community concern about the prior tobacco violations

The city or the ABC may grant the license only with added restrictions: limited operating hours, a ban on nicotine or tobacco sales, or required security measures. These conditions would set First Stop apart from the store that preceded it but still allow it to open.

Historical Context

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

November 2022 onward

California flavored tobacco ban (2022)

Voters passed Proposition 31, upholding SB 793, which bans the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. Enforcement began in December 2022 and gave the CDTFA explicit authority to seize flavored products from retailers.

Then

Retailers statewide removed flavored products from shelves; some continued selling them illegally.

Now

The CDTFA conducts routine seizures and can fine retailers up to $5,000 per violation, with license suspension or revocation for repeat offenders.

Why this matters now

The October 2025 seizure at 7707 Crenshaw Blvd is a direct application of this enforcement framework.

2018–2025

Retailer rebranding after enforcement actions

California retailers hit with tobacco or alcohol penalties sometimes close and re-open under new corporate names to shed their enforcement record. State agencies have responded by scrutinizing common ownership and control across entities.

Then

Agencies check Franchise Tax Board and business registration records to identify the real owners behind a new name.

Now

A new entity can still be denied a license if regulators find it is the same operator facing the same violations.

Why this matters now

First Stop Liquor's application may be reviewed to determine whether it is connected to Chan Mi Corp, the entity that lost tobacco products at this address.

1935–present

California ABC suitability review (1935–present)

The ABC has long held that it can deny or condition licenses based on the applicant's background, the premises' history, and local objections. Premises with a record of unlawful activity face heightened scrutiny even when the applicant changes.

Then

A prior violation at a location can block a new license if regulators connect it to the new applicant.

Now

License holders must comply with state and local law as a continuing condition of holding an ABC license.

Why this matters now

The prior seizure at 7707 Crenshaw Blvd may weigh on the ABC's evaluation of the First Stop application.

Sources

(2)
California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control California Department of Tax and Fee Administration