Council clears entertainment license for summer soccer events; new mini‑mart owner pledges compliance with flavored‑tobacco ban

The City Council approved an entertainment license for a local soccer organization’s summer events and discussed safety and tobacco‑sales concerns as a new mini‑mart owner described plans for a family‑oriented store near a forthcoming high school.

Carol (director of community engagement for a local soccer organization) told the council the organizer has run events in the city for a decade and is seeking an entertainment license for events on June 21 and June 28 and for an adult tournament over four weekends—July 19, July 26, August 2 and August 9—with a block party and playoffs on August 9. "Our goal is to bring community engagement together with passion for soccer to raise funds for student athletes in Central Falls and beyond," Carol said. The council voted 4–0 to approve the entertainment license and the requested permissions for vendors; the application also included a liquor‑service request for the August 9 block party and relevant approvals were considered as part of the same licensing action.

Separately, a woman appearing before the council as the new owner of a neighborhood mini‑mart described plans to expand inventory beyond tobacco and snacks to include grocery items and EBT acceptance and said she plans to keep hours 7 a.m. to midnight daily. Councilors raised proximity to the new high school and youth safety and urged strict compliance with state tobacco rules. A city staff member reminded the owner that Rhode Island has a ban on flavored tobacco products that includes many vaping products and said the police department had received grant funds for undercover enforcement stings; councilors asked that the store ensure flavored products are not sold to minors.

Council members praised the mini‑mart owner’s stated intent to make the store more family friendly and to post clear age‑restriction signs. The owner said she expects to work behind the counter and have her adult son assist. She also described plans for a walk‑up window and other safety measures.

Records on the licensing items show the entertainment/license motion passed unanimously among four voting members recorded in the transcript; the mini‑mart application received questions and a motion was made to approve the license later in the agenda (the transcript records discussion and a motion but does not capture a full roll‑call vote for that specific item in the excerpt provided).