7 Broad Street, where a tenant has obtained permits and a liquor license to open a retail liquor store. (Photo by Brian Donohue Click to enlarge)
By Brian Donohue
One of upper Broad Street’s most prominent buildings and long-term vacancies seems poised to become home to a new liquor store. Read all about that, and other new and soon-to-be arrivals, from a “candle bar” to a Nashville-Pakistani style hot chicken spot, in the latest installment of Retail Churn.
There’s a bit of life coming to one of the most sadly moribund stretches of Red Bank storefronts.
A company doing business as The Liquor World has obtained both a zoning permit and a plenary liquor license over the past month to open at 7 Broad Street.
The address is one of a string of three prominent addresses that have experienced lengthy vacancies along the northern stretch of Broad Street that operates as a seasonal pedestrian plaza in summer.
The building at 7 Broad long had distinctive two-story, open-air facade staircase before that was removed a decade ago and enclosed in glass. Years ago, the basement was home to Down to Earth restaurant and later a juice bar. The street-level space has been vacant since the reporter typing this had a full head of hair, which is a long time. A search of the Churn archives indicates it could be as long as 18 years.
At its June 12 meeting, the Borough Council approved the transfer of a plenary retail distribution license to MSG Beverages, an LLC registered in October 2024 in Morganville. The registered agent is listed as Puneet Gupta, who is also listed as the owner of MSG (doing business as Liquor World) on a June 10 zoning permit issued by the Borough.
Gupta told redbankgreen he was planning to begin moving in mid July and aiming – hopefully – for a September opening. He is opening another store in East Brunswick around the same time, the company’s first foray into the business.
“Liquor stores tend to come in for the long-term and we intend to be there for the long-term,” he said. “Our first goal is going to be customer service, we want to offer the best customer service to our customers. Second will be selection and third will be pricing.”
A liquor store on that stretch of Broad Street would be something old made new again.
The address sits a few doors down from Sally Boy’s, which occupies the space at 1 Broad Street that for years was home to Heritage Liquors.
While Churn was there, we decided to shoot for an update on the two vacant storefronts directly to the north of on the same side of Broad.
At 3-5 Broad Street, work seems to be continuing (six years and counting now) on what’s dubbed in construction permits as The Exchange, a rooftop dining restaurant that got Planning Board approval in December 2018.
There are signs of ongoing construction at the site.
The property consists of two original structures: a two-story building at 3 Broad, and a three-story at 5 Broad. The location is the former home of the Belmonte and Red.
The business is owned by restaurateur Jack Manousos and partner Jason Zoracki, of Little Silver, who co-own Proving Ground Waterfront Dining in Highlands and other eateries. They told redbankgreen in the fall of 2023 that the restaurant was coming and got their liquor license for the place renewed in March 2024. Stay tuned to future installments of Churn for the latest.
Build & Brew Cafe is planning a July 7 opening in the former Hobbymasters home at 62 White Street. It sounds like a lot more than cafe. The 10,000 square foot building will be home to a new community center, “designed to create employment, educational and social opportunities for individuals in Red Bank and the surrounding area,” according to the web site.
“It will house our Design and Build Workshop, a cafe, retail store, as well as an Experiental Learning Program geared toward inclusive educational programming,” it reads.
The Anderson Building at 200 Monmouth Street, former home of Sickles Market, future home of Anderson Market. (click to read)
In other Churn news, the work-in-progress food market coming to the Anderson building at 200 Monmouth Street continues to take shape with more vendors coming on board, according to published accounts.
The Asbury Park Press reported this week that Namkeem chicken and Spring Lake/Brooklyn bakery Nick + Sons are both planning on opening stalls in the multi-vendor market. Namkeen’s fried chicken treads the rarefied air between Nashville and Pakistani with its chicken, served at locations in Chatham, Metuchen and Brooklyn, according to the company web site.
They join others previously reported in Churn as planning to come on board, including Molly Boards, a charcuterie and custom catering business based in Point Pleasant, and Local 130 Seafood, a fresh fish vendor that sources much of its product from East Coast fishing boats. On a recent visit we could hear hammering and clanging of tools from inside Booskerdoo as the work took place behind temporary plywood walls.
Mouth-watering news, indeed.
The former home of Whipped Creperie is poised to become home to Bougiefire a candle bar.
A new “candle bar boutique” appears poised to open Monmouth Street – a half block from another new candle shop.
Signage recently appearing on the facade and windows of 6 Monmouth Street herald the arrival of Bougiefire, a business whose web site describes it as a make-your-own candle experience. “Bougie” means candle in French, we learned from the site. It replaces another French themed biz that occupied that space, Whipped Creperie which closed over the winter.
Bougie fire promises candle-making classes and BYOB workshops. It will set up shop across the street from Surf’s Up Coffee & Candle, which opened this spring with a different business model. Surf’s Up makes its own home made candles inside a cafe-like setting where customers can order coffee and hang out in a seating area with a beach house vibe.
