For Club Liquors, “liquidation” soon won’t just mean alcohol. The lease has expired at the small liquor store next to Neon Deli, and the University, which owns the property, has decided not to renew it. What happens next is not entirely clear, although some possibilities do bode well—at least in the long-term—for the Wesleyan community. When Neon Deli’s lease runs out next year, the grocery store too may have to vacate its premises, at least for a while. The good news is that the storefronts now occupied by both businesses could eventually be replaced by a bigger, better Weshop, with Neon Deli reincarnated as a small take-out restaurant inside that space. This plan has several benefits. Weshop in its current location is cramped and needs to be expanded. The necessity to revamp it will soon be exacerbated by the loss of a major dining area on the north side of campus, with the campus center closing down and reopening on the other side of Fauver Field. Plus, Neon Deli and Wesleyan have a strong connection, and the idea of incorporating it into Weshop seems likely to serve all parties concerned. The only question is, why are we doing this now? With building projects going on all over campus, and a budget in need of cutting, this might not be the best time to lose the revenue Wesleyan currently receives from renting out the Club Liquors property. Why have a storefront sit empty when it could stay filled by a business that’s keeping itself afloat? It might be wiser to wait—wait until Neon Deli’s lease runs out, or wait at least until the University has a cogent plan for the future of the property.
Finding a new way to drown your sorrows
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