A Scarsdale wine shop is suing to stop a competitor from relocating about 560 feet from its front door, arguing the move would saturate an already crowded retail liquor market near the village train station.
Amici Dei Vini, which operates as Scarsdale Wine & Spirits at 1 Christie Place, filed a petition in Westchester Supreme Court on Aug. 13 challenging the State Liquor Authority's approval of Westchester Wine Curators' planned move to 30 East Parkway, according to the Westchester Business Journal.
The new storefront sits directly across the street from the Scarsdale Metro-North station.
Westchester Wine Curators, operated by Alyssa Albright under the trade name Scarsdale Wine Merchants, has been located at 2 Depot Place on the Manhattan-bound side of the tracks.
Albright petitioned the State Liquor Authority in April to relocate after her landlord declined to renew the lease. The authority approved the move on June 16.
Narder objected.
Amici owner Paola Narder, represented by White Plains attorney Marc S. Oxman, argues in the petition that the new location is extremely close to multiple licensed package stores and that the two addresses represent distinctive commercial environments, even though the move covers only a few hundred feet.
The petition contends that approval would not serve public convenience and would instead contribute to an already saturated retail liquor market in the surrounding area.
Westchester Wine Curators countered that the relocation simply shifts its storefront several hundred feet and would serve the same commuters and neighborhood clients.
The shop argued that before and after the move, the four closest liquor stores would remain the same, with no encroachment on new competitors.
One wrinkle: the names. Narder's store goes by Scarsdale Wine & Spirits; Albright's uses Scarsdale Wine Merchants.
Amici is asking the court to overturn the State Liquor Authority decision outright, or alternatively to require the state to reconsider the application, allow Amici to participate in the process and temporarily block Westchester Wine Curators from moving merchandise into the East Parkway space.
A State Liquor Authority spokesperson declined to comment on the pending litigation. No hearing date has been scheduled publicly. Yelp lists The Wine Curator of Scarsdale's Depot Place location as closed.

