Trader Joe's Unexpectedly Closes Union Square Wine Shop In NYC

UNION SQUARE, NY — The popular Trader Joe's NYC Wine Shop in Union Square unexpectedly announced its permanent closure on Thursday.

A sheet of paper posted to the door at the East 14th Street location and subsequently posted to Reddit reads as follows:

"Effective Thursday, August 11 our NYC Wine Shop in Union Square will be closed," the paper reads.

"We have been operating our small Wine Shop in the Union Square neighborhood for over 15 years, and we thank you for your business and support throughout the years.

"It is now time for us to explore another location that will allow us to optimize the potential of our one and only license to sell wine in the state of New York."

A spokesperson for Trader Joe's confirmed the wine shop's closure to Patch.

The wine shop is directly next to a Trader Joe's grocery location at 142 E. 14th St., near Irving Place.

The specialty shop opened in 2006 along with the 14th Street location, which was the first in New York City.

"They have the most reasonably priced wine in New York," frequent Trader Joe's NYC Wine store shopper Lucy Smith told Patch. "I travel all the way from the Upper West Side for their selection. I don't know where I'll shop now!"

The sheet posted to the door adds that employees will be paid for their scheduled shifts through Aug. 28, and that the company will use that time to discuss with them "the opportunity to transfer to another Trader Joe's in NYC."

"We look forward to sharing with you our plans to offer an even better wine shop experience to our New York customers as soon as they are finalized," the posted letter ends, with a signature from "All of us at Trader Joe's."