What’s that liquor license doing at the Mildred?

That blessed sign of hope in a shuttered restaurant — a bright orange placard — has appeared at the former Mildred, at 824 S. 8th St.

What could be new ownership has applied for a liquor license transfer at the Bella Vista restaurant, which closed in June and previously housed the celebrated James.

The new company seeking the license is oh-so-imaginatively listed as 824 RESTAURANT ASSOCIATES LLC, and the names on the PLCB app are Robert Kaufman and Kathleen Schoener. Kaufman appears to be a part of the company that is leasing the building, which still has a listing online for $6,200 a month. We couldn’t find anything on Schoener, who is listed as a “member/steward” on the pending license.

We’ve emailed the leasing company, PhillyOfficeRetail.com, for more info on what’s planned. It could be only that they are transferring the license to make it more marketable to a prospective restaurant operator. But we hope it’s a sign of happier times for the handsome space.

UPDATE: Damn

@PassyunkPost @foobooz asked them, they're transferring it to hold so the property is more appealing to the next potential tenant.

— Zagat Philly (@ZagatPhilly) August 20, 2014