Harding Pharmacy and Liquor - THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG.

Liquor license among items auctioned off at Ridgewood’s former Harding Pharmacy and Liquor

January 15, 2015, 6:32 PM Last updated: Thursday, January 15, 2015, 6:42 PM
By CHRIS HARRIS

RIDGEWOOD — Reading glasses, New York Jets key chains, nutritional supplements, cash registers and lots of wine. If it was inside the former Harding Pharmacy and Liquor on Thursday, it was up for grabs.

But it was a coveted liquor license that drew the most attention at an auction staged inside the 70-year-old store — selling for $255,000.

It took 10 bidders less than 5 minutes to battle it out for the right to sell booze to Ridgewood’s residents.

Ultimately, the liquor license went to Jonathan Davis, who said he was at the auction representing Maple Avenue Liquors.

Davis is a senior vice president at Woodbridge’s Onyx Equities, a real estate investment firm which owns several office and retail spaces in Ridgewood and is spearheading The Enclave, a 52-unit housing development proposed for East Ridgewood and North Maple avenues.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/liquor-license-among-items-auctioned-off-at-ridgewood-s-former-harding-pharmacy-and-liquor-1.1196183

Auction to be held Thursday in Ridgewood

JANUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015, 3:43 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

A coveted Ridgewood liquor license – plus Beanie Babies, greeting cards, and back supports – will be up for grabs at a public auction next week at Harding Pharmacy and Liquor.

The auction will take place on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 11 a.m.

According to David Edelberg, a lawyer for the landlord plaintiff, Clotco, Inc., the total amount owed to the landlord, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the state is “approaching a half-million dollars.”

His client was owed more than $200,000, he said, and around $40,000 was due in sales taxes.

“I would say my client who knew [the owner] was overly accommodating for too long a period of time,” said Edelberg, who became involved in June. “A lot of landlords, you’re behind 18 months to two years, [they] do something.”

His client started an eviction against the owner, but was able to settle on terms “whereby he agreed to vacate” and proceed with the auction sale, he noted.

According to auctioneer Michael Sklar, of A.J. Willner Auctions, the lucrative Ridgewood “D” liquor license is expected to go for around $250,000.

Other items for sale include 600 bottles of wine and liquor; the alcohol can only to go to a licensed liquor holder, Sklar said.

“Someone who wants to buy it for a New Year’s Eve party, they can’t buy it,” he said.

The rest of the items at the auction, including the store fixtures, will be for sale to the public. A minimum of a 25 percent deposit is due at the time of a successful bid, in cash, certified or cashier’s check, according to the auction website.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/auction-set-for-thursday-1.1189281