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The store opened to much fanfare in 2006, the first of many to come as the California-based chain, known for its quirky house-brand products and sweet deals, expanded into the New York City market. The wine shop soon became a staple for a thriving residential area where it made more of a splash than the typical wine and liquor store.
In addition to customers who created recipes and pairings from the store’s creative food options, devotees of the so-called Two Buck Chuck (a wine bottle from the store’s Charles Shaw line that costs around $2, depending on where you live) and other options flocked there for its deals.
Trader Joe’s typically carries wines from the California wine country but also from New Zealand, Italy, France and beyond. Many are from its private label.
On many a weeknight, the line to the two stores could be seen extending out toward Union Square park or wrapping around the building in that bustling corner of Manhattan.
Mr. Patel, 28, who works in private equity, said he now shops at wine stores with more selection, but there is still a “nostalgia factor.”
Because of New York’s alcohol sales rules, the chain could only hold a license for one wine store in the city, and it chose a building directly next to the Trader Joe’s grocery store there.
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