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Last year the Bulldog excoriated New York's arcane liquor laws and State Liquor Authority for shutting down one of NYC's most innovative wine shops, namely the wine store at Whole Foods Columbus Circle. The lack of a separate entrance door—alas!—was the store's downfall. Only in New York?
Well now the forthcoming Whole Foods on the Bowery at East Houston Street has announced it bowed to the pressure of puny Community Board 3 and withdrew its application for a liquor license for a wine shop adjacent to the store, according to today's New York Times. This is laughable. Just to make clear: this Bulldog, who formerly lived on the Bowery, detests all the nouveau-riche poseurs who squat in multimillion-dollar lofts where once the winos ruled. But apparently the Community Board fears the wealthy buying wines will contribute to a carnival-like atmosphere, recreating the Thunderbird-swilling drunks of yesterday, collapsing as they did on Grand Street, or begging for quarters on Delancey Street, or even (heaven forbid) wielding squeegees when pumped up on Wild Irish Rose. Apparently no one told the Community Board that Whole Foods' wine shops don't stock Thunderbird or Wild Irish Rose. The idea that a supermarket (curse those environmentally-correct and organic grocers coming to an area bereft of green space) on the land of a former derelict parking lot-cum-junkyard could actually sell wine, well that's apparently going too far.
Tags:
bowery, community board 3, whole foods, wine store
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Posted on 4/5/2006
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