Acting on a complaint, state authorities sent an undercover agent to Pioneer Square to bust people they say were flagrantly offering illegal intoxicants in the popular tourist spot.
But the targets weren’t the crackheads typically swept up in downtown stings, and the state’s undercover agent was hardly out of high school. The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) was after art gallery owners pouring wine.
At First Thursday, an art walk founded in 1981, gallery owners have long poured wine for patrons. But on August 5, authorities busted six people, charging each of them with a gross misdemeanor—punishable by up to a year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine—for serving alcohol to a minor.
“This was definitely cause for concern,” says Brian Smith, spokesman for the WSLCB. “Our undercover aide hit six locations, and they all provided liquor to the 19-year-old. We witnessed 100 percent noncompliance.” The targeted locations included Shotgun Ceremonies, Statements Distinctive Tile & Stone, ArtXchange, Flatcolor Gallery, Center on Contemporary Art, and 619 Western Ave Art Building.
For their part, art gallery and business owners in Pioneer Square say they were targets of an unfair sting. “If they’d just walked around an hour before and said, ‘We’ve had issues with teenagers in the area trying to get alcohol,’ there wouldn’t have been a problem,” says Bronwen Stevenson, co-owner of Shotgun Ceremonies, a Vegas-style wedding company that performs costumed ceremonies and celebrated a soft opening during August’s art walk. “We’re not trying to serve to minors—it’s not in our best interest. Minors don’t buy art or get married. Instead of talking to us, they decided to conduct a sting operation at the art walk. It’s a hurtful way of operating.”
State legislation adopted in 2009 allows art galleries and wedding boutiques to offer a complimentary glass of wine or beer to patrons without having to go through the hassle of obtaining a banquet license or special occasion license. Gallery owners say that a compliance officer should’ve contacted them prior to the sting with complaints or concerns, and that this lack of communication was the real failing to public safety—not a few half-glasses of wine pilfered from a handful of galleries. “They warned me that… if it happens again, I will face criminal charges,” said one gallery owner, who asked to remain anonymous.
But the WSLCB says the sting resulted from a 19-year-old who allegedly got drunk at the popular art walk and then received a DUI while driving home. Her family filed a complaint with the board.
“Whenever we receive a complaint, we follow up on locations,” says Smith from the liquor board. “We wouldn’t have gone through the effort of these premises checks without a complaint.” The WSLCB visited at least five other businesses open during First Thursday, but they either didn’t serve wine or had already stopped serving for the night.
However, some business owners think the WSLCB wasn’t operating in good faith.
“One flyer would’ve changed everything as far as I’m concerned,” says Stevenson. She adds that her establishment was under the assumption that they were in compliance—they’d purchased a banquet license (which they didn’t need, due to the 2009 law) for the three bottles of wine they served that night. And Stevenson says that the artist caught serving the undercover minor had checked her ID—she’d just “done the math wrong” when tallying her age.
But the state says galleries have had ample warning.
Although Smith agrees that many of these businesses don’t have the proper training for serving alcohol to the public, he says, “We offered some of the art galleries training in advance of the summer activities.” How did the galleries reply? “We were turned down,” Smith says. Nonetheless, he concedes that not all businesses in the area were contacted with this offer, but half the businesses cited for selling alcohol to a minor did get the offer beforehand.
Because the galleries aren’t licensed with the state to serve alcohol, they can’t be slapped with a violation like a bar would be in this situation. Instead, the individual who served the alcohol personally shoulders the penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor. Like a traffic fine, it requires the person to go to municipal court and pay a fine. For a first offense, the fine is typically in the range of $500, says Smith.
Since the sting, the WSLCB has decided to invite all galleries and First Thursday businesses to an alcohol-related training class, which includes tips on how to spot signs of intoxication, how to check IDs, and how to identify a valid ID. The classes are free and offered twice a month throughout the state. “This is a fairly new law,” Anne Radford from the WSLCB acknowledges. “Our goal is to educate these special events on the different requirements they have to face.” 
Typical: little princess behaved like an idiot, so it must’ve been the fault of those nefarious art galleries who corrupted her. How ever did society survive back before 21 was the legal drinking age?
Minors don’t buy art or get married…
Hrm…
Serving wine at an art walk is like serving cracker jacks at a ballgame
If some teenagers get buzzed looking at bad art, so what
I had a show in pioneer square last year, and I was pretty surprised to see obviously underage hipster girls wandering around the gallery SMASHED. One of them stood in front of one of my pieces literally swaying back and forth so badly I was afraid she was going to fall on it.
I had a show in pioneer square last year, and I was pretty surprised to see obviously underage hipster girls wandering around the gallery SMASHED. One of them stood in front of one of my pieces literally swaying back and forth so badly I was afraid she was going to fall on it.
I’m no fan of the WSLCB at ALL, but…maybe drunk teenagers and art don’t mix so well.
And this is also a post!
Why is the drinking age 21 anyway? (Genuine question.)
should just throw the 19 year old in jail and have it at that, the “kid” is a legal adult in all other cases and certainly has the mental capacity to carry responsibility for his/her own actions. punishing an art walk because of some idiot piece of shit is obtuse.
This is wack yo!
Hitting up more the private party/loft circuit (I hear that the whole operation of 619 is way different now than it was then, but I haven’t been back to check lately) during First Thursday when I was in high school (sixish years ago), I definitely drank–but all my friends were totally aware that WE WERE MINORS and that people were taking a liability serving us alcohol. Therefore, we were careful–we didn’t act like jackasses, we didn’t drive (why would you drive to/from pioneer square on first thursday, even if you weren’t drinking, anyway?), and we were discreet. Gallery wine availability is very casual, and I have no problem with that. The girls’ parents insinuation (by calling the WSLCB and demanding an investigation) that it’s the galleries’ fault simply by MAKING THE ALCOHOL AVAILABLE is completely unreasonable. She knew what she was doing (she is an adult), she got caught, her fault, too bad. She would’ve gotten that DUI two years later too, probably.
Also, it would’ve been GREAT if the parents had complained to the gallery before the WSLCB, and probably would’ve been a much more cordial, effective and less expensive operation for everyone involved. Kind of like noise complaints during house shows. But that would’ve required people to be rational.
I am glad to read you article, and I do agree with you .
I am kind of irritated that art galleries do not have to take classes and get alcohol certification.
I am a bartender and have to pay for classes and carry a card to serve alcohol and if some idiot drinks too much and gets in trouble I can be held liable.
Maybe I should start calling my restaurant an art gallery.
The WSLCB is a joke.
Wine and light appetizers have been served at galleries and art opening since the dawn of the golden age and most likely before that. Teenagers are drinking in the woods more than attending art openings and doing foolish things with out the blame squared on the starved and barely thriving art scene. I agree with the owners, direct communication allows everyone to be aware of the situation with out petty reprimands.
The 19 year old chooses to drink while underage and drives while intoxicated and the parents blame the gallery? Where is her fine and alcohol classes with the WSLCB?
yet another blantent act of disrespect by both the police department and the parents of such an undeducated child. At 18 the child is no longer a child. at 19 the child has had a year to mess up. Cops probabally went thru all the sneaky things that a minor would go thru to get the wine. we cannot monitor these teens but if they want to complain then we should start being harsher on the teens and not the companies. They should not be held responsible for dumb-ass disrespectful Kids.
@7: I’ve heard it’s because at some point, the U.S. federal government tied highway improvement money to a minimum drinking age of 21. But don’t know the details for your state and anyway I could easily be hallucinating.
If only we could somehow Google this!