Shrewsbury Liquor Merchant Looks to Capitalize on New Trader Joe's

For more than a year, the Staples shopping center in Shrewsbury existed without a second anchor following the closure of food market Treasure Island, the kind of place designed to keep the parking lot full and bring shoppers back to the center on a regular basis.

When Trader Joe’s opened its newest market in the vacant storefront just a week and a half ago, Teresa Helmka thought there was no better time to take advantage of a new business neighbor who could make good on those promises.

Helmka, who owns the Spirits Unlimited in the center along with her husband, appeared before Shrewsbury’s Council Monday night to ask that they allow her to keep her business open later on Sunday’s to take advantage of the influx of customers that Trader Joe’s brings in.

Currently, Spirits Unlimited closes at 6pm on Sunday. She asked that the council consider allowing it to stay open until 9pm, which, not so coincidentally, is when Trader Joe’s closes each night.

“With Trader Joe’s,” she said. “There’s a lot more life in the plaza.”

The council did not immediately approve Helmka’s request, as members said they wanted to check with the police before they made any decisions, though the extension wasn’t met with much resistance.

Councilman and board liaison to the borough’s police department, Tom Menapace said he didn’t think the move would put any more pressure on police services, especially considering other businesses in the shopping center are open at the same time.

“I see no reason not to allow this,” he said. “It only seems logical.”

Helmka said there are also two BYOB restaurants in the plaza that stay open later on Sunday nights.

Staying open longer isn’t the only way Spirits Unlimited has tried to take advantage of Trader Joe’s. Helmka said the store – she and her husband also own another Spirits Unlimited in Tinton Falls – started carrying a wider selection of organic and less expensive wines.

The idea, she said, is to fill the void created by Shrewsbury Trader Joe’s lack of a liquor license. Trader Joe’s, famous for its all-natural and organic fair, is also beloved by many for its “Two Buck Chuck,” an inexpensive California wine that has become synonymous with the specialty market.

When customers realize their fix can’t be satisfied at Trader Joe’s, Spirits Unlimited will have the kind of product, though not the same product, that they’ve come to love.