“Is something up with the J. Crew Liquor Store?” I asked in late August, having noticed a surge of search queries for the addresses (237 W. Broadway, 2 White) on this site. Sure enough, James spotted a “store for rent” sign in the window.

When the J. Crew Liquor Store opened in August, 2008, it was a trendsetter: Taking a page from Steven Alan, the store was among the first by a major retail chain to sell other brands alongside its own, the high end with the middle. I’ll contact the shop when it opens to see about a closing date and any plans to open elsewhere. Relocation seems unlikely, however, seeing as how the “Liquor Store” brand is inexorably tied to the structure; there’s another J. Crew menswear store in Soho; and the company has serious business issues, including a “crippling debt load,” as per an analyst quoted in the Washington Post in June.

UPDATE: The staffers said the store will be open through March, and that it won’t be reopening somewhere else.

P.S. For more on the 1809 building, read Daytonian in Manhattan’s post.