14
QUEENS WEEKLY, AUGUST 25, 2019
Liquor
occupied by Toys R Us,
located at 30-02 Whitestone
Expressway, next to Party
City. Trone is requesting
all signed letters in support
of her application to be
returned by Sept. 7.
“I am excited to bring
this unique and wonderful
experience to Queens,”
Trone said in the letter.
“As you may know, a Total
Wine & More store offers
an incredible selection
of over 8,000 wines, 3,000
spirits and 2,500 beers, all
at the most competitive
prices possible.”
“To make shopping
convenient, right next
to the wine and spirits
store, there will also be
an incredible beer and
food store — offering local
and global beers, as well
as delicious and unique
New York foods and gifts.
I am particularly proud
we will be offering the
largest and best selection
of New York-made beers,
wines and spirits,”
Trone said.
Known as the “Walmart
of liquor” Total Wine
& Liquor were denied a
liquor license to open a
21,000-square-foot store
near White Plains in a
decision last December that
followed opposition letters
from 25 state lawmakers
and a three-hour hearing,
in which the New York
State Liquor Authority
ruled that “Westchester
is already oversaturated
with liquor shops,” the NY
Post reported.
“The stores from Long
Island and Westchester
there banded together and
they fought it. They didn’t
get their license, and now
they’re coming here,” said
Joey Demarco, who has
been working at Marpat
Wines and Liquors for
16 years. “Them coming
here, we’ll be ground
zero; we won’t be able to
last. I’m sure other stores
in Flushing, all other
areas such as Corona and
Whitestone will feel it.
It would not only affect
small businesses, but
also the sales people for
the distributors would
be greatly affected by the
number of stores that could
potentially close.”
Demarco said they have
contacted eight other liquor
stores thus far and will
have their first meeting in
the first week of September.
They’re also planning on
getting a lawyer.
For Nicholas Alma, 25,
who is a full-time worker at
Marpat Wines and Liquors,
this is his only job at the
moment, and he is ready
“to take it with the punches
and roll with them.”
“I’m pretty sad about
it, just counting my days,”
Alma said. “If I lose this
job, it would hurt because
it’s going back to square
one looking for another
job. It’s great for them,
but not for us. They’ll
probably take over all
of Queens.”
Continued from Page 1
Robberies
Detectives are
investigating two other,
unrelated robberies that
occurred in Ozone Park
within the last 10 days.
On Aug. 10, two male
suspects ambushed a
woman as she opened the
front door to her residence
in the area of Sutter Avenue
and 77th Street in a failed
home invasion.
At 9 p.m. that evening,
authorities said, a 37-yearold
woman was entering her
home, located in the vicinity
of Sutter Avenue and 77th
Street, when she was
approached from behind by
two unknown men. The men
demanded that she open the
door and took her keys from
her hands.
After taking the keys,
the suspects tried to
unlock the door, but were
ultimately unsuccessful.
The suspects fled the scene
in a waiting vehicle in an
unknown direction. The
victim was not injured as a
result of the incident.
Four days later, on Aug.
14, two other crooks forced
their way into a home in
the area of 95th Avenue and
77th Street and robbed a
woman at gunpoint.
In that caper, police
said, a 58-year-old woman
was in her bedroom at 4:20
p.m. that day when the
two unidentified suspects
entered, displayed firearms
and demanded money.
The gunmen grabbed a
cellphone and jewelry, then
bolted from the scene in an
unknown direction.
All three cases remain
under investigation.
Call 800-577-TIPS with
information on any
of them.
Continued from Page 1
Two suspects in an Aug. 14
slashing in Ozone Park.
Photo courtesy of NYPD
The owners and employees at MarPat Wines and Liquor on
Farmington Street fear the impact of a Total Wine & More
store moving into Flushing. Photo: Carlotta Mohamed/QNS