Several EVG readers shared photos of the storefront signage, and there was a discussion about the name and any possible confusion with Trader Joe's Wine Shop, which closed around the corner in August 2022. (That retail space now houses Trader Joe's Pronto.)
Joe's Wine Co. is an entirely separate entity from Trader Joe's. State Liquor Authority paperwork from July 2023 lists the ownership as Taste Wine LLC, a business previously located at 50 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street... (public records now list the name as Joe's Wine Inc.)
Gary Landsman opened Taste Wine in 2015 before closing in May 2020 to focus on raising awareness and finding a treatment for the fatal genetic disease that his two young sons have. At the time, he said he was hopeful about selling the business.
Taste Wine reopened in the fall of 2020 under new ownership before shutting down in early 2021. According to the Post, someone stole the shop's entire $300,000 inventory of alcohol during that time.
And 50 Third Ave. is now part of the vacant assemblage that workers are demolishing to create a new mixed-use development.
2 comments:
Me thinks that Joe's Wine Shop will be getting numerous "love letters" from Trader Joe's lawyers in the near future. Big conglomerates are very litigious when it comes to any similarities to their trademarks.
I wish them luck and longevity in the East Village
All joking aside, Trader Joe's doesn't have a trademark on just "Joe's"
I hope that, if TJ feels so aggrieved about this, the Joe's guys ask for a nice big check to facilitate a name change. Because otherwise TJ doesn't have much of a case here.
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