Binny’s Beverage Depot is the newest player to join Lincolnwood’s retail liquor store scene, following in the footsteps of the April opening of Armanetti Wine and Spirits.
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Two weeks after the new 30,000 square-foot store opened in the former Lincolnwood Produce building on the 7100 block of Lincoln Avenue, Binny’s will host a grand opening party July 15 with a champagne reception, wine tastings from California wineries, and a whiskey tasting, according to Binny’s spokesman Greg Versch.
Lincolnwood native and Binny’s founder Harold Binstein was a lifelong resident of the village before he passed away in 1995, according to Versch, who said Binstein’s roots in the community lend special significance to the Lincolnwood opening.
“Binny’s has deep roots in the neighborhood, and this location is a labor of love,” Versch said.
Binstein’s son, Binny’s owner Michael Binstein, gained approval from the village last year to renovate the property.
The space where Binny’s opened in early July was used by the grocery store, a shuttered bank and the Vineyards of Lincolnwood, a liquor store that Binny’s acquired and closed as part of its 20-year lease for the property. The former liquor store space was converted into offices that now house part of Binny’s corporate division.
Binny’s arrival means that the 44,950-square-foot shopping center at Lincoln and Touhy avenues is now fully leased, with CVS Pharmacy being the only other retailer to share the center with Binny’s.
Customers of Lincolnwood Produce, which was open from 2000-2015, will hardly recognize the space, Versch said.
Construction crews rehabbed and remodeled the old store, building out a new storefront, installing exposed vaulted ceilings, and knocking down walls that divided different sections of the grocery store.
“The space is open, huge and beautiful,” Versch said. “You have to see it to believe it.”
Niles-based Binny’s has 32 locations in Illinois, according to the company’s website.
As Binny’s next door neighbor at 6929 N. Lincoln Ave., Armanetti’s manager Marty Scharaga said he’s not thrilled about the prospect of competing for business with the corporate-run liquor retailer.
Danny’s Liquor, LLC signed a 10-year lease to operate Armanetti’s in the former Lincolnwood Wine & Spirits store last year, according to attorney Dimitrios Christopoulos, who represents Danny’s LLC owner Scott Tomczyk.
When Tomczyk took over the lease from Lincolnwood Wine & Spirits, he kept Scharaga, a longtime wine consultant who worked at the store for several years.
“We’re slowly getting back some of the old customers,” Scharaga said. “I’m sure Binny’s can’t help us, but we are competitive price wise and with (our) inventory and I love schmoozing and knowing my customers personally.”
Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.