Beer, Wine, Liquors Now on Sale at Trader Joe's Peabody Store

The Route 114 store now stocks specialty beers, wines and liquors -- most of them brand name products -- and at an affordable price.

Alcohol finally hit the shelves last Friday at Trader Joe's Peabody store. Customers can now pick up some brand name specialty beers, wines and liquors, along with other local brands from microbreweries and wineries. Check out the latest Fearless Flyer for some of the current selections on sale.  Trader Joe's paid a local record amount ($205,000) to Frank Martino, who owns Martino's Liquors on Route 1, for the all-alcohol package store license. The company says alcohol sales are actually a regular part of its business -- most stores in California sell it -- but are just scaled back in Massachusetts because of strict license limits. Thanks to the state legislature passing a law last year increasing the limit for a single business to five …

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Martino Before Liquor Board Tonight for New License

Licensing Board members harshly criticized Frank Martino this summer for profiting from the sale of his liquor license and now seeking another one from the city for package store.

Frank Martino will be back before Peabody liquor authorities tonight to seek a new beer and wine license for his package store on Route 1 South. Martino has sold his full liquor license to Trader Joe's, which will soon be stocking the shelves of its Peabody store with beer, wine and liquor, assuming the Licensing Board sees no reason to not approve the license transfer. While board members have no problem with the Route 114 grocer selling alcohol, they do have a problem with Martino. That's because he obtained a new license from the city last year -- the only remaining all-alcohol package store license the city held -- and then went and sold it for a locally record-setting price, $205,000, to Trader Joe's. Martino will now be back before …

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Move Over Spinach, Make Room for Alcohol

Trader Joe's received OK from City Council Thursday night to hold package store license to sell specialty beer, wine and liquors.

Without much ado, city councilors agreed Thursday night to let Trader Joe's obtain a package store license for its Route 114 location. Councilors voted 9-1 to approve a special permit that allows the grocery store to seek or obtain an all-alcohol license for retail sales. Only Michael Garabedian voted against the petition, but did not explain his vote during the public hearing. Councilor Bob Driscoll, a self-professed Trader Joe's fan -- just wanted to know one thing: "I'm just wondering where you're going to put the spinach," he asked with a smile. Attorney Andrew Upton, chuckling, said "I am assured by senior management that we will continue to sell spinach." Upton showed the council plans that only contained minimal changes to the …

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Bob Croce

12:46 pm on Friday, September 28, 2012

It was definitely the correct vote by the city council last night. Trader Joe's is the type of responsible business that we all want to see thrive in Peabody. But to Councilor Gravel's comments, is there a way to change the rules to keep business owners from using our licensing process to heap huge profits? The Frank Martino situation looks like "spilled milk" at this point, but shouldn't we try …   more ›

Trader Joe's Alcohol Permit on Tap for City Council Thursday

The City Council will hold a public hearing to decide whether to allow the supermarket to sell packaged alcohol or not.

Trader Joe's will be before the Peabody City Council Thursday night for a special permit to allow the store on Route 114 to sell packaged alcohol. There are seven zoning districts in Peabody where package store sales are allowed – Trader Joe’s is Regional Business – and all require a special permit from the council. If the council signs off on the permit, next up is the Licensing Board for a hearing on the transfer of the license from Martino's Liquors to Trader Joe's. Martino's is selling the all-alcohol retail license to Trader Joe's for a locally record-setting $205,000, which has raised some eyebrows. The means by which the state effectively prohibits supermarkets, such as Trader Joe's, from selling alcohol is by restricting the amount…

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Trader Joe's Recalls Peanut Butter for Possible Salmonella Contamination

Three people in Massachusetts have contracted salmonella, 26 have fallen ill in other states and officials believe it may be related to peanut butter sold at Trader Joe's.

Health officials in several states, along with federal officials, are warning consumers one type of peanut butter sold at Trader Joe's is possibly contaminated with salmonella. In response to the widespread concerns, Trader Joe's announced Friday that "out of an abundance of caution" all Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter has been removed from store shelves everywhere, which would include at the Peabody location as well. "We have no confirmed information that suggests this peanut butter is unsafe to eat, but there is nothing more important to us than the health and safety of our customers and crew, and the quality of our products. As such, if you purchased this product, please do not eat it. We encourage you to return the product to any …

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Plan to Profit on License and Seek Another Raises Concerns for Liquor Board

Martino's Liquors is selling its package store license to Trader Joe's while simultaneously seeking just a beer and wine license to replace it.

It’s allowed under state law, but Frank Martino may have an uphill battle in front of him now that he’s selling his liquor license for a tidy profit and hoping to get a beer and wine license from the city to replace it. Martino, who owns Martino’s Liquors & NY Deli on Route 1, has an agreement with Trader Joe’s to sell his full liquor package store license for a local record $205,000. While asking the Peabody Licensing Board to approve that transfer, he’s simultaneously asking for the lesser package store license. Both points have raised some eyebrows on the board. Board member Charles Holden told attorneys John Keilty and Andrew Upton, who were representing Martino and Trader Joe’s Monday night, he questioned whether it was an ethical …

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