Marty's Moves On

So the Allston location of Marty's Liquors is closing this weekend. Don't worry, I'm not going to wax nostalgic about the closing of a liquor store. I have no memorable stories about the time I bought a six-pack or a keg or anything there, or of a great wine discovery. But Marty's does hold a sort of special place in my heart, I guess, because when I first moved to Boston 12 years ago, I thought it was cool that a store right down the street was named Marty's. (Yeah, I'm that much of a dork.) And yes, I made a few purchases there over the years, but whatever ... my alcohol tastes were never of the Allston variety. Besides, I learned pretty quickly to stay as far away from the corner of Harvard Ave. and Comm. Ave. as possible.

But anyway, even though I shed no tear over the closing of Marty's Liquors, I will come to its defense in one way: The reason this store is closing is because it couldn't come to terms over a rent increase by its landlord, the Hamilton Company. Sound familiar? That's because Hamilton was my old nemesis when I lived at 110 Babcock. I have nothing but sympathy for Marty's if they're being pushed out because of those greedy bastards, who raised my rent $200 when they bought the building and then never did anything to improve the quality of life there. Hamilton is the reason I bought a condo when I did (though it must be said, the whole condo-buying thing worked out pretty well for me). This situation kind of makes me want to go buy a bottle of wine at Marty's just for old times sake. At the very least, I'll raise a glass in its honor.