Park Beverage Settles into New Home

Park Beverage Owner Chris DeMaio says he's settling in nicely at his liquor store's new location on Westfield Avenue.

The Scotch Plains business owner shut down his shop on Park Avenue at the end of February and moved his inventory one street over to the former home of Palmer Video, a space that's twice the size of his previous property.

Last week, DeMaio and his staff were still getting the place in order, but already finding that their inventory fills the large space quite well. They're now better able to space out their stock and face the shelves with multiple bottles, which was harder to do in their previous location. 

"It's double the space for the same price," DeMaio said, noting that the new property is 4600 square feet, compared to the 2400 square feet he had on Park Avenue.

Park Avenue was home to Park Beverage for 16 years, but DeMaio says a 130 percent increase in rent over that time prompted him to finally leave.

"I kept asking my landlord, 'how can you keep raising rent when everybody's going out of business?'" he said. "Too many landlords are too short-sighted. If we don't get something other than a nail salon down here, nobody's going to come."

In the past month, Park Avenue has lost three long-time businesses. While Park Beverage remains in downtown, Mezzogiorno Ristorante and Palmer Video appear to be gone for good.

Mezzogiorno was downtown for at least a decade, but owner Franscesco Sabetta says he decided to close after struggling with his own financial difficulties.

"Unfortunately I succumbed to the economic tsunami," he told Patch via e-mail. "The landlord was inflexible and obtuse."

Palmer Video was also considered a Scotch Plains institution for years. Originally located on Park Avenue, the video rental store found the height of its success at its Westfield Avenue location. It lasted only a few years after moving back to Park Avenue.

Now with Park Beverage in the former Palmer Video location, it benefits from both on-street parking and a visible side parking lot, making it easy for patrons to make a quick run inside. 

"Even though Park Avenue was busier, I don't think anybody stopped," DeMaio said. "There's nowhere to really park. This is a much better location."