Many Brooklynites stocked up on the essentials before Sandy’s arrival — but some still ran out of necessary fluids.
Luckily for them, a Bedford–Stuyvesant entrepreneur was willing to deliver wine well into the storm.
“A lot of our regulars have nowhere to go, so they’re going to hang out with old friends and a bottle of wine,” said John Samuel, owner of the Nostrand Avenue wine shop Breukelen Cellars.
Samuel says his workers delivered at least a dozen cases of wine to Brooklynites hunkered down in their homes in Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, and Bedford–Stuyvesant on Monday and Tuesday.
Other businesses were dreading the storm, but Samuel saw a surge in orders during what are typically his slowest hours.
“Obviously, business between noon and 5 pm was a lot more active,” he said.
The business model made sense, at least according to storm-stranded Brooklynites who had no problem drinking early in the day — or doing it while they “worked from home.”
“This is a survival situation so all normal rules are thrown out the window,” said journalist and Clinton Hill resident Michael McLaughlin. “Anything goes.”
But with rain and wind gone and the roads at least partially clear, Samuel suspected Wednesday wouldn’t be quite as busy.
“People are going to be getting back to work,” he said. “Those who aren’t are probably running out of money.”
