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QUEENS WEEKLY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2019
Totally different experience for liquor megamart
Entrepreneur behind Queens’ fi rst Total Wines store says it’ll be boon for boro, won’t harm small biz
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Business owner and
entrepreneur Michelle
Trone, who is seeking
to open a Total Wine &
More store in Flushing,
is committed to partnering
with the local community
while coinciding with
mom-and-pop businesses.
Trone, 31, is the sole
owner of MCT New York
Fine Wines & Spirits LLC,
who has applied for a wine
and liquor license at 30-02
Whitestone Expressway,
the former site of Toys ‘R’
Us that has been vacant for
almost two years.
“This will be my first
foray into owning my own
business,” Trone said. “I’ve
spent a lot of time in New
York for work and for fun
and Queens always struck
me as a great neighborhood,
very diverse, growing and
an interesting place, where
I thought having a store
with so many options could
really add to what’s available.
There’s nothing like it
in Queens.”
MCT New York Fine
Wines & Spirits LLC is a
separate entity from all
other stores that operate
under the trade name Total
Wine & More — the first
and only license that Trone
seeks to hold. While Trone
has received a generous
amount of support for the
store opening in Queens,
which will be solely operated
by her under the name
Total Wine & More, she is
also facing opposition from
local business owners who
fear losing their store, jobs
and customers.
However, Trone believes
they can co-exist together,
she said.
“It’s a different business
model. My store will
be the kind of place where
customers will come three
to six times a year to stock
up for an occasion, parties,
holidays or an event,” Trone
said. “For a local Friday
night, where they just want
to pick up a bottle of wine,
they’ll still go to their local
mom-and-pop. Whenever
a Whole Foods or grocery
opens up, the local bodega
doesn’t go out of business;
they’re for different uses.”
Trone added, “I believe
the community in Queens
needs both of these types
of stores. There is also, historically,
looking at other
Total Wines before and after
they open, the number
of stores around it do not
go out of business. People
aren’t going to drive further
to buy one bottle of
Chardonnay, but they’ll
probably drive further
away for five cases.”
Trone plans to open
two stores side by side —
one licensed to sell wine
and spirits (9,000-plus and
4,500-plus liquor items) and
the other to sell beer and
New York state food products
(1,400-plus New York
state wines, 350-plus New
York state spirits and 50-
plus New York state ciders)
— to offer customers a
convenient experience.
“We’ll have New York
cheeses, apples, delis and
also convenient accessories
such as a wine opener
and napkins,” Trone said.
“Most liquor stores in
Queens are just selling liquor
and wine, you gotta
go somewhere else for
your beer, or if you’re getting
beer they don’t have
a license to sell liquor …
I wanted to have both of
those in one place for customers.”
The store will be
equipped with wi-fi, wine/
spirits educational content
on flat screens, and wide
aisles. Additionally, there
will be 461 parking spots,
including 280 directly in
front of the store. There
will be a focus on exceptional
customer service
and education to help consumers
make decision and
plan their dinners and
events.
“It’ll look like a Total
Wine and similar commitment
to service, but in other
ways it’ll be different,”
Trone said. “There will be
a huge classroom with free
tastings every day and customer
classes led by wine
experts on cabernet and
other things.”
When the classroom
is not being used by the
store team for training
and customer education
classes, it will be available
as a meeting space,
free of charge, to local nonprofits,
community and
business groups.
Trone is already planning
to donate a portion of
the store’s proceeds from
opening week to a local
nonprofit. She is committed
to working closely with
community and business
leaders to support local
causes and charitable efforts.
The wine and spirits
store is expected to bring
jobs to Queens with approximately
175 team members,
where 75 percent will
be full-time, earning high
wages plus full benefits
(health care, 401K, partner
benefits, short- and
long-term disability) Trone
said. They also plan to hire
returning citizens, such
as individuals who have
a criminal record and are
searching for jobs.
With the support of several
Queens politicians and
local organizations and
receiving more than 200
signatures from individuals,
Trone is hopeful that
the liquor license will be
approved to open the wine
and spirits store in Flushing
.“
I’ve always wanted to
open up my own store, it’s
something I’ve thought
about for a long time,”
Trone said. “This will give
the people of Queens something
they don’t currently
have from the assortment,
education, selection, and
the fact that I will be partnering
with the community
through charitable organizations.
I think overall,
it will be a benefit to the
Queens community.”
The proposed location for Total Wine & More, located at 30-02 Whitestone Expwy., a now defunct Toys R Us store.
Photo via Google Maps
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