Christie’s to open posh wine store in Rockefeller Center, and it got help from NY lawmakers to make it happen

Article excerpt

Christie's will open a wine shop in Rockefeller Center with help from New York lawmakers who crafted legislation to bypass a state liquor rule that has ensnared other retailers. The same regulation cost Eataly's Chelsea wine shop a $500,000 fine in 2014 and forced celebrity chef Mario Batali and partners Joe and Lydia Bastianich to shut down for six months. The deal highlights how wealthy companies can navigate regulatory hurdles through legislative intervention, a path unavailable to smaller competitors who faced the full weight of the New York State Liquor Authority's enforcement.