NYC’s only Trader Joe’s wine store has put a cork in it–literally–after announcing pretty abruptly on August 11 that they’ll be shutting their doors permanently.
Located near Union Square at 138 E 14th Street, passersby heard of the news pretty unceremoniously with a note on the front door shared by EV Grieve announcing their closing after a 15-year-reign as New York state’s only TJ’s wine shop.
Though this marks the end of an era for those looking to shop for their booze on a budget, the Trader Joe’s grocery store located next store is still open and operating as normal.
It’s true — the Trader Joe’s Wine Shop — the only one in NYC — shut down today on 14th Street in Union Square. pic.twitter.com/Y2yw5LY52M
— evgrieve (@evgrieve) August 11, 2022
The sign reads “We have been operating our small Wine Shop in the Union Square neighborhood for over 15 years, and we thank you for all the business and support throughout the years,” though not all hope may be lost as the sign goes on to mention that it’s now time for “[them] to explore another location that will allow [them] to optimize the potential of [their] one and only license to sell wine in the state of New York.”
New York State law only allows one wine license per entity, so grocery chains are only able to sell wine in one of their physical locations. So, while no one is sure of where the wine shop will relocate, the best thing to do in this situation is to cross your fingers it makes its way to your favorite neighborhood TJ’s!