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WESTBOROUGH, Mass. – Patrons of the Stop and Shop Grocery Store in Speedway Plaza may soon see the addition of a self-contained liquor store to the market’s offerings.
The Board of Selectmen approved a new wine and malt package store liquor license to LD Wines at its meeting on Tuesday night, making it possible for the process to move forward.
The liquor store will be situated in the middle of the Stop and Shop and be sectioned off by a barrier made of shelving. The outside of the shelving will contain groceries and the inside will hold wine and malt. The store will have one entrance and exit monitored by a cashier.
Leslie Downey, owner and operator of LD Wines, said she hoped to open this as her first liquor store.
“I have a background in marketing and my hobby has also been wine and food,” Downey said.
Selectman George Thompson said this area of Massachusetts has a lot of competing grocery stores and he would like to see Stop and Shop able to stay at this location.
“It would be nice to see something retain an anchor like Stop and Shop. Especially with the opening of Wegmans, I think this could be a good thing,” Thompson said.
Board of Selectmen Chair Lydia Goldblatt was concerned with the placing a liquor store in a market where families frequent.
“People don’t generally take their families into a liquor store but they do take them into Stop and Shop,” Goldblatt said.
Despite security and placement concerns, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the new liquor license 3-2.
What do you think: would a self-contained liquor store be appropriate for Stop and Shop? Comment below.
