Video game enthusiasts, Black Friday shoppers and lovers of ice cream and coffee in Saugus might have a little something to celebrate as a result of actions taken at the Saugus Board of Selectmen meeting last week.
Best Buy requested extended hours to accommodate the crowds they anticipate with the release of “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” video game next month. The board approved that request at its Oct. 7 meeting, allowing the store to be open from 12:01 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Nov 5, the day of the release.
Kohl’s in the Saugus Plaza Shopping Center also asked for extended hours. In a letter to the board, Lindsey Kimmel, the store’s senior real estate operations analyst, requested that the store be open from 2 a.m. to 6 p.m. in anticipation of Black Friday shoppers on Nov. 27, a request that the Board also approved.
James Deleidi of Saugus petitioned the Board for a food service license to operate Swirl House, a new ice cream and coffee shop that will take over the space previously occupied by the ice cream and coffee shop Moo’n and Brew’n. The owner of that establishment shared that the decision to close was in an effort to focus more on community-centered events and efforts.
“Our goal is to create a clean, welcoming place for families, students, town employees, and other members of the community so they can come in and relax and enjoy,” Deleidi, who plans to open his establishment the first week of November, said.
While the Board granted all three requests, some expressed concerns about the added hours.
“I can attest to when I was a kid standing in line for video games,” Selectman Frank Federico said of Best Buy’s plan. “Sometimes the crowds would get a little rowdy.”
He proposed a police detail to keep the crowds contained. Selectman Michael Serino questioned the fairness of the proposal, given that Best Buy would have to pay for the detail.
“I would hate to pick one business out that requires a detail and the other one doesn’t,” Serino said, who also noted that Kohl’s has had extended hours for Black Friday many times without incident.
Selectman Jeff Cicolini offered an amendment requiring Best Buy to meet with the police department to discuss security measures, ultimately leaving it up to the department to determine if a detail would be necessary.