SHERRY-‘LEMONS’
Debts bad for UES wine shop
Sherry-Lehmann has been scrambling to keep the lights on — literally — as the iconic New York City wine shop fends off lawsuits from angry clients and struggles to pay down a massive tax bill, The Post has learned.
The swanky store at 550 Park Ave. got a Feb. 27 visit from reps of Con Edison, who gave staff a “30minute warning” to gather their personal belongings before the power was shut off over unpaid bills, according to a source close to the situation.
Shyda Gilmer — the shop’s chief executive and co-owner, who sources claim has used the shop like his personal booze stash, even as its finances have deteriorated — eventually coughed up enough cash to keep the lights on, according to insiders.
“Shyda was not answering calls,” a source told The Post. “Finally at the last minute, he spoke with the guy and paid off online a little more than half of the balance to keep us in the light.”
The company has defended the free booze, insisting the practice wasn’t unusual. However, the Con Ed incident was the latest dramatic scene inside the upscale store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, which in recent months has weathered angry complaints from customers demanding either cash or immediate delivery of pricey wines they paid for weeks, months or even years ago.
Staff, meanwhile, hasn’t been paid since the showdown with Con Ed, sources close to the situation said.
Last Wednesday, the 88-year-old retailer — whose clients have included Greta Garbo and Andy Warhol — dropped from being New York state’s ninth-largest tax deadbeat to the 13th thanks to a recent payment of $506,627, New York Department of Taxation and Finance records show. Nevertheless, it still owes $2,766,431 in back taxes, according to the agency.
A spokesperson for the store told The Post: “Sherry-Lehmann has been in constant contact with the state tax agency and has been paying the balance down since last March, and the company is working diligently to get to zero balance.”
As a co-owner, Gilmer is likely giving priority to the tax man because he’s personally liable for the company’s taxes — whether the company files bankruptcy or not, experts say. State tax authorities hold the power to shut down a business and sell off its assets over unpaid arrears, a spokesperson for the state agency told The Post.
Sherry-Lehmann’s tax payments aren’t helping customers who claim they were stiffed. Raymond Fong and Pak Chung are suing over $800,000 worth of rare Bordeaux they claim they paid for and should have received in 2019.
Sherry Lehmann’s law firm Nixon Peabody has filed a motion to dismiss the case.