Sherry-Lehmann, the iconic wine shop that was shut down by state regulators earlier this month amid escalating business woes, expects to reopen next week “fully stocked,” The Post has learned.
The posh Park Avenue vintner — which has struggled to pay bills including a massive state tax debt and lately been forced to fill its spotty shelves with cheap booze — was shut down March 9 after neglecting to renew its liquor license when it expired on Feb. 28.
The abrupt clampdown came when an enforcement agent for the State Liquor Authority entered the store and flashed his badge after the store illegally sold him a bottle of hooch, according to Wine Spectator.
Since then, the business “did a full physical inventory of our store, the vast cellar below it and our offsite warehouse facility,” a spokesperson for the 90-year-old business told The Post in a statement.
“With this work complete and our license fully active, we are excited to reopen the doors of our fully-stocked store on Tuesday, April 4th.”
The SLA renewed and approved Sherry-Lehmann’s license on March 22, an SLA spokesperson said. The agency has not charged the company with a violation for selling alcohol in March without a license, SLA spokesman William Crowley told The Post.
It remains to be seen whether the store will be fully staffed after the business stiffed sales reps and other staffers of several weeks of pay before being shuttered.
Numerous veteran managers and hourly workers have left the store in recent months as its financial struggles became embarrassing – with customers complaining about undelivered wine that was purchased months ago and even suing the company, sources tell The Post.
Earlier this month, ConEd threatened to turn off of the lights while the store was open because bills had not been paid, as The Post reported.
Co-owner, Shyda Gilmer, has promised employees that they will be fully paid, according to sources.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
