Photo: QueensPost
March 1, 2014 By Christian Murray
A liquor store is opening at 41-26 Greenpoint Avenue—despite four similar stores going before the State Liquor Authority trying to deny the owner a license.
The store, called Blue Z Liquor, had a tough road getting its license—since just months before the same group of local liquor stores ganged up and were able to convince the SLA to deny the license of an applicant seeking to open a store on 46th Street, which would have been 5,000 square feet.
Blue Z Liquor, which will be 2,400 square feet (including its basement), is likely to open soon. While construction workers were unable to provide an opening date, the shelves were up and the store looked close to being complete.
The owner of Blue Z Liquor was able to get the liquor license by convincing the SLA that the store would not cause undue hardship on its competitors and there was a population that needed to be served. The applicant who sought a license on 46th Street was denied a license after being told: “the size of the [new] store is overwhelming compared to the size of the existing stores.”
Four local liquor stores went before the SLA in opposition to Blue Z Liquor—led by High Spirits Wine & Liquors (located at 44-18 Greenpoint Ave.)—but failed in their quest.
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37 Comments
A gym? Something for the kids? Tutoring place? Anything but a liquor store. There’s enough bars. A community garden? Jimmy are you taking notes?
Why you lousy yella belly why dontcha come down and meet me?
I know who you are because yer friends gave ya away because ya bragged about wut ya doin. Ya yella belly.
@Red: Reveal yourself! How do I know that you know who I am? Meet me at Flynn’s
I happen ta know who ya are Al koholik. And when I catch up wit you, I’m gonna put da “zz” on da both cheeks of ya life. You’lll rememmba me fer da rest uh ya life!
I can’t wait for the store to open up. Do you know how long it takes to go to Lowerys and back to the park. Well after I pack everything up it takes me a good hour and that is if the wheels on my shopping cart are holding right.
Praise the arch
Why is everybody gettin’ so upset? Have a drink, buddy. Sit down, take a load off. What, you got a problem with me? Billy, set this kid up with a drink. Yeah, those were the days, huh? Yeah, beer is great. Whiskey, too. Wine ain’t bad. Liquor stores are the best.
I love this logic: There are already drunks in our parks and on our streets. Putting ANOTHER liquor store in the neighborhood, across the street from the very same park where drunks like to pass out, will not make any difference. The number of passed out drunks in a park will remain the same in a community, regardless of how many liquor stores there are.
Brilliant.
I can hear the conversation: “Man, I am so comfortable lying here on this park bench- I’m going to take off my shoes and air out my feet. I wish I had a bottle to drink- I got this ten dollar bill but I don’t feel like walking all the way to Queens Blvd…hey, look- another liquor store,, right across the street!” Another happy Sunnysider.
The Public School that I mentioned is still under construction on 42nd Street near 47th Avenue, just one block from the projected liquor store.
@ Roxy
It’s 3 blocks from the nearest school, and the playground is already full of bum-puke.
The location is only a block away from the new Public School, as well as just across the street from a City playground. I’m surprised that got by the State Liquor Authority.
I love booze. Booze booze booze booze booze booze!
A new liquor store won’t create more drunks on the street or anywhere else. It’s not as if the other neighborhood shops have run out of stock.
and this means more drunks will be making themselves at home at the Sunnyside library branch.
I don’t have a problem with a new liqour store in Sunnyside.
I just hope its clean, nice, and affordable.
FREE MARKETS BIOTCH! If a new store is bigger, differentiate yourself so it doesn’t matter what the competition does.
WHY WE NEED ANOTHER LIQUOR STORE IN SUNNYSIDE. WE HAVE ENOUGHT ALCOHLIC IN THE PARK SO PLEASE JIMMY VAN BRAMMER TAKE ACTION ON THIS LIQUOR STORE.
THANK YOU
More wine please
This is great news!
Go to Astoria, walk down 30th avenue, and get some inspiration.
I’m confused. “ANOTHER” liquor store in the neighborhood? Let’s see, there’s Lowery’s on Queens Blvd, High Spirits on Greenpoint Avenue…and??? Ah yes, there’s Bill’s on 43rd and 43rd. Is that really an overabundance of liquor stores in a neighborhood this size? If there’s in incredible influx of hipsters in the ‘hood then why shouldn’t there be supply to meet demand? There must be something else happening in this neighborhood that would better exemplify all of these collective knickers in a twist. Perhaps you can all band together to shut the bars and pubs down? There’s a whole lot more of them than there are package stores. Or maybe lobby to close all of the $1 Stores down. I’m pretty sure those stores attract a much more undesirable lot. Sheesh.
And Ressi Dent – Woolworth’s? Are you kidding me? That ship has sailed…
Face it, if you need something other than a REALLY SHITTY selection of groceries supplied by THREE MARKETS in THREE BLOCKS you’re gonna get it in Manhattan. So in the meantime, if you need a good bottle of wine at least there will be one more place to shop for it. Lowery’s is a HUGE store with great prices – it’s been here for decades and I highly doubt it’s dragged the neighborhood down.
300 maybe exaggerating…but even 1/2 that in a save off street convenient location would make it a better place to live.
Why dont they just tear the block down and make it a monthly parking garage? it can go 2 levels below ground 2-3 levels above maybe 300 cars solves all sunnyside parking problems..
Do we really need another liquor store?! Seriously! We really need businesses and venues that are good for everyone in this community.
How about BBQ Hut 2 instead?
Most of you guys are from somewhere else. You are looking for that idealized NYC neighborhood that doesn’t exist. Low rents, undiscovered ethnic restaurants and cool cafés. Get over it. We need run businesses. Franchise and smaller stores. But that is probably a pipe dream. The landlords wil charge what they can get.
@Angie You miss the point entirely. The big stores are “anchors” that bring people to an area to shop. Traditionally they are small department stores, Woolworth’s” and drug stores. While market forces have forced changes in that old formula, making the biggest store in the area a liquor store hardly builds a stable and wholesome basis a hometown depends on. A liquor store of that size does not aim to fill a local need, it aims to draw people from other neighborhoods here. This is part of the plan to turn Sunnyside, especially Queens Blvd and Greenpoint Ave into something that may come to resemble Rego Park if the business people involved get their way.
Most people are being led right down the primrose path that will make them irrelevant and ignored in their own home town.
Dear Ange, Please stop filling this fourm with your well thought out ideas and common sense!
this block is cursed…. first it was ctown, then it was sold to steves ctown, last night there was a sign by the register that said credit card receipts will now say “seans” ctown
who in their right mind would invest in this hellhole of a block?
I think it’s a wonderful idea! People are under the assumption that the liquor store would make the neighborhood “ghetto” (whatever that means) but it would make it easier for people who live further away from queens blvd to grab a bottle quickly on their way home froom work. Liquor store or not the men who drunkenly sleep off their hangovers at the park manage to get alcohol and set up base camp there even without the liquor store so I don’t think it will be a probl at all. There was such an uproar when the tattoo shop opened on the same block, when conservatives and tiger moms thought that it was too close to the park and their kids were going to come home with their faces tattooed….well guess what?! None of that has happened. “Chicken place, liquor store, chicken place” is what one person mentioned above, I don’t know what chicken places you are talking about but give me their addresses and I’ll gladly make my way there for some delicious eats. Oh wait, or are you talking about the Central and South American restaurants opening up making “your” neighborhood too “ghetto” for your liking. Sunnyside has always been diverse and become more popular now. If With that comes hipsters, yuppies, and people of color. The same way no one is complaining about new cafés and a specialty wine store opening up “white-washing” or “gentrifying” their neighborhood, how about you don’t make the assumption that opening a liquor store in a neighborhood will make it too “ghetto” (read:black) for your liking. Because I mean a liquor store obviously means that only rowdy people of color (Latino and Black) will be served with the sole purpose of lowering property value.
It’s sad that residents rather see an empty storefront for years instead of a prospering local business.
Doge is right. It’s also a little to close to the park, which already has more than its fair share of drunk guys hanging out-or passed out-there at certain times of day. Well at least they’ll be able to refuel without going too far! Can’t have a park without drunks! I guess Blue Z Liquor is providing a public service.
Chicken place, liquor store, chicken place, liquor store….the making of a ghetto.
Good, a liquor warehouse. Just what we need. Why not bring a giant gun seller in here too? There aren’t enough gun stores around here. And, you know, sex is a good business. How about a giant Sunnyside version of “Ba Da Bing!”
Those would really bring a lot of money into the neighborhood. That’s what we need, more money.
Liquor stores are not a sign of a good neighborhood.
@Beenhere25years
LIC already has a very good wine store
http://www.squarewine.com/
And probably others as well.
How about a high end wine store for all the hipsters who’ve moved in here. A French wine store to attract the tourists staying at hotels in LIC, a wine store to specializing in wine from South America for the many ummigrants here from South America.
With the shape the country’s in these days, a lot of people need a bit more booze.