Politics & Government

Wine Store Set to Open in Stop and Shop

The wine and malt shop will be situated inside the Speedway Plaza grocery store.

 

With a vote of 4-1 on Feb. 14, the Board of Selectmen approved a liquor license for LD Wines, a wine and malt store scheduled to open inside of the Speedway Plaza Stop and Shop location on Route 9.

“I have an issue with it being in the middle of the store,” said Chairperson Lydia Goldblatt. “You don’t take your family into a liquor store, but you do take your family into a supermarket.”

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Goldblatt shared her sentiment after a presentation by attorney William Bloom who represents the owner of Top Shelf Wine and Spirits located at 276 Turnpike Rd., in the shopping plaza to the east of Stop and Shop. He argued that approval of the new store location threatens his client. Bloom suggested that a vote in favor of the new liquor store was a vote against a small business owner in town.

Joe Devlin, the attorney representing Leslie Downey, owner of LD Wines, said that his client was also a small business owner. He explained that she is the sole owner of the proposed 1500 square foot store, not Stop and Shop.

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Devlin said that LD Wines will be created using shelving about the same height as the shelving currently in the store. The shelving will be double sided with a solid middle. Stop and Shop products will be placed on the outside of the shelving and the liquor store will use the inside shelving. There will be one entrance to LD Wines, Devlin said, with a gate that will be locked when the store is not open.

The new business will be positioned in the center of the current store, with a sole cash register located at its entrance near the bank of Stop and Shop registers. It is expected to employ four people.

“I’m very supportive of small business,” said Selectman Tim Dodd to the owner of Top Shelf, “but I’m also very supportive to bringing new business to Westborough.”

“I’m concerned about what stores like Wegmans are doing to business in town,” said Selectman George Thompson. “To the extent that this helps [keep business in Westborough], I think that’s a good thing.”

Selectman Leigh Emery noted the close proximity of four other stores selling liquor, all near the town rotary. She said that with three available liquor licenses available, an approval anywhere in town would be competition to someone. “We can’t solve the marketing issues,” she said. “Westborough is only so big.”

The new license was approved with Goldblatt having the only dissenting vote.

 

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