The Liquor Store

File:Southeast Portland, Oregon (January 2021) 091.jpg across the street from the Aalto Lounge and Circa 33.]]The Liquor Store was a bar, restaurant, and music venue in southeast Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood. Upstairs was a horseshoe-shaped bar and shelves displaying the owner's extensive personal vinyl record collection, numbering in the hundreds.{{cite web |last1=Frane |first1=Alex |title=A Sultry, Wine-Centric Cocktail Bar Will Open on SE Belmont This Year |url=https://pdx.eater.com/2021/1/5/22215651/bar-midnight-opening-southeast-belmont |website=Eater Portland |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=January 10, 2021 |date=January 5, 2021 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105222636/https://pdx.eater.com/2021/1/5/22215651/bar-midnight-opening-southeast-belmont |url-status=live }} The downstairs space had a sound reinforcement system by Funktion-One.{{cite news |last1=Greenwald |first1=David |title=5 Portland venues you didn't know had music |work=The Oregonian |page=23 |date=November 6, 2015 |issn=8750-1317}} The Liquor Store hosted disc jockeys (DJs) and live music regularly,{{Cite web|last=Jackson-Glidden|first=Brooke|date=September 25, 2020|title=SE Belmont Bar the Liquor Store Is Leaving Its Current Location|url=https://pdx.eater.com/2020/9/25/21456718/the-liquor-store-for-lease|website=Eater Portland|language=en|access-date=January 10, 2021|archive-date=January 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109054540/https://pdx.eater.com/2020/9/25/21456718/the-liquor-store-for-lease|url-status=live}} often for $10 or less. Google Maps labeled the venue a liquor store, prompting the business to add "not a real liquor store" to its website.{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=Cooper |date=January 17, 2020 |title=16 Portland Restaurants and Bars With Live Music |url=https://pdx.eater.com/maps/portland-live-music-restaurants-bars |website=Eater Portland |access-date=January 15, 2020 |archive-date=January 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200119130401/https://pdx.eater.com/maps/portland-live-music-restaurants-bars |url-status=live }}

Willamette Week{{'s}} Martin Cizmar said the "shiny" bar had a music collection ranging from David Bowie to Bob Dylan and displayed "yellowed" newspapers covering the murder of John Lennon, Richard Nixon's resignation, and Neil Armstrong's walk on the Moon.{{Cite news |url=https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23975-the-liquor-store-house-of-blue.html |title=The Liquor Store: House of Blue |first=Martin |last=Cizmar |work=Willamette Week |date=February 17, 2015 |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-date=August 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806042519/http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23975-the-liquor-store-house-of-blue.html |url-status=live }} The newspaper's Jay Horton and AP Kryza said frequent patrons "are drawn in for enlightened takes on bar-food staples, while the nightly invasion of dressed-to-impress concertgoers depends more on the venue's top-shelf sound system and eclectic booking".{{cite news |last1=Horton |first1=Jay |title=The Liquor Store |url=https://www.wweek.com/bars/2016/05/10/the-liquor-store/ |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=May 10, 2016 |archive-date=May 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520031144/http://www.wweek.com/bars/2016/05/10/the-liquor-store/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Kryza |first1=AP |title=Buckman & Sunnyside |url=https://www.wweek.com/finder-2016/2016/08/22/buckman-sunnyside/ |work=Willamette Week |date=August 22, 2016 |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027070811/https://www.wweek.com/finder-2016/2016/08/22/buckman-sunnyside/ |url-status=live }} Horton described the venue as a "temporary pied-à-terre that attracts the cream of like-minded drinking partners", with "silent-screen classic" films projected on a back wall and "up-and-coming" bands downstairs. He wrote, "With interiors showcasing an embarrassment of purposeless signifiers (vintage newspapers, stacks of vinyl, clarinet, pot-bellied stove), the space can seem like a satire of a grad-student Tinder profile."

The Portland Mercury called the venue "another one of these subterranean joints ... that often hosts DJ nights and a cavernous, low-lit venue downstairs where you're likely to find local psych-rock or dance parties on any given night".{{cite news |title=A Newcomer's Guide to Portland's Best Music Venues |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/newcomers-guide-2017/2017/09/13/19313980/a-newcomers-guide-to-portlands-best-music-venues |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=Portland Mercury |date=September 13, 2017 |archive-date=December 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208220059/https://www.portlandmercury.com/newcomers-guide-2017/2017/09/13/19313980/a-newcomers-guide-to-portlands-best-music-venues |url-status=live }} Willamette Week said the main floor had "flickering candlelight, walls filled with vinyl and a steady stream of DJs who create the vibe of a hip after-hours party at a rich friend's parents' house... In the low-ceilinged basement, you'll find touring house, bass and EDM producers alongside locals spinning everything from art rock to Zouglou, as well as indie bands who missed the actual basement show scene by a few years."{{cite news |title=Six Portland Bars Where You Can Shake Your Booty |url=https://www.wweek.com/bars/2018/05/23/six-portland-bars-where-you-can-shake-your-booty/ |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=May 23, 2018 |archive-date=April 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414060026/https://www.wweek.com/bars/2018/05/23/six-portland-bars-where-you-can-shake-your-booty/ |url-status=live }} The newspaper also said, "Most nights feature a DJ on the main level, where craft cocktails and shelves of pulp fiction books and vinyl set a comfortably cool vibe. To bust a move, head downstairs during a live show for an intimate, sweaty basement party every time the hip-hop, indie-rock or dance act takes the stage."{{cite news |title=The Liquor Store |url=https://www.wweek.com/culture/2019/08/20/the-liquor-store/ |access-date=January 10, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=August 20, 2019 |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920120852/https://www.wweek.com/culture/2019/08/20/the-liquor-store/ |url-status=live }} Eater Portland{{'s}} Cooper Green described the bar as an "ultra-hip spot" with happy hour from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

The bar served a cocktail with blue curaçao and lime called the Blue Monk, named after the defunct jazz club of the same name which occupied the space previously. The menu included cornbread macaroni and cheese, nachos, and the Really Good Gin and Tonic made with Beefeater Gin and house-made tonic. The handcrafted candied lemon wedges served in Slane Irish Whiskeys take approximately three hours to make.{{cite journal |last1=Brennan |first1=Casey |title=Where to Drink Slane Irish Whiskey in Portland |journal=Thirsty |date=October 18, 2018 |url=https://thirstymag.com/sponsored-where-to-drink-slane-irish-whiskey-in-portland/ |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-date=September 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928153722/https://thirstymag.com/sponsored-where-to-drink-slane-irish-whiskey-in-portland/ |url-status=live }} Pizza was featured during happy hour on Mondays, as of 2016. The Seelbach was made of whisky, bitters, cava float, and Créole Shrubb liqueur.

Owner Ray Morrone opened The Liquor Store in February 2015,{{cite news |last1=MacMurdo |first1=Walker |title=Get Lit With Sam Elliott at the Liquor Store |url=https://www.wweek.com/bars/2017/05/23/get-lit-with-sam-elliott-at-the-liquor-store/ |access-date=January 10, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=May 23, 2017 |archive-date=April 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406161314/https://www.wweek.com/bars/2017/05/23/get-lit-with-sam-elliott-at-the-liquor-store/ |url-status=live }} following the closing of the Blue Monk in 2014. Cooper DuBois was one of the bar's investors.{{Cite web|last1=Frane|first1=Alex|first2=Brooke|last2=Jackson-Glidden|date=May 14, 2020|title=A Former Employee Is Suing the Liquor Store for Sexual Harassment|url=https://pdx.eater.com/2020/5/14/21257722/sexual-harassment-lawsuits-liquor-store|website=Eater Portland|access-date=January 10, 2021|language=en|archive-date=January 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111051635/https://pdx.eater.com/2020/5/14/21257722/sexual-harassment-lawsuits-liquor-store|url-status=live}}

In November 2015, Morrone confirmed the installation of new sprinklers and emergency exits. He also told The Oregonian that many records from his collection had been stolen and said of electronic music: "That's what I grew up listening to, so that's important to me. Going all the way back to (the) Hacienda nightclub in Manchester being a big influence." Actor Sam Elliott visited the bar frequently during happy hour.

In 2016, the venue hosted an acoustic show by Fred and Toody Cole,{{cite news |title=Music |work=The Oregonian |page=06 |date=September 2, 2016}} electronic artists Copy and Symbion Project,{{cite news |last1=Stock |first1=Mark |title=Copy's Shapeshifting Electronica Continues to Evolve on "Chosen Atmospheric Pieces" |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/album-reviews/2016/11/29/copys-shapeshifting-electronica-continues-to-evolve-on-chosen-atmospheric-pieces/ |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=November 29, 2016 |archive-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024205413/https://www.wweek.com/music/album-reviews/2016/11/29/copys-shapeshifting-electronica-continues-to-evolve-on-chosen-atmospheric-pieces/ |url-status=live }} and a sixtieth birthday celebration for Wipers drummer Sam Henry.{{cite news |last1=Carson |first1=Nathan |title=Portland Punk Lifer Sam Henry Looks at 60 |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/profiles/2016/12/27/portland-punk-lifer-sam-henry-looks-at-60/ |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=December 27, 2016 |archive-date=October 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005093059/https://www.wweek.com/music/profiles/2016/12/27/portland-punk-lifer-sam-henry-looks-at-60/ |url-status=live }} The venue also began hosting the weekly comedy show Earthquake Hurricane.{{cite news |last1=Gormley |first1=Shannon |title=Earthquake Hurricane Host Its 100th Show Tonight |url=https://www.wweek.com/arts/comedy/2016/12/21/earthquake-hurricane-host-its-100th-show-tonight/ |access-date=January 10, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=December 22, 2016 |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804233556/https://www.wweek.com/arts/comedy/2016/12/21/earthquake-hurricane-host-its-100th-show-tonight/ |url-status=live }} A variety of DJs performed at the bar, as of 2016–2018.Singer, Matthew. Willamette Week. Retrieved January 10, 2021:

• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with The Perfect Cyn |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2016/06/22/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-the-perfect-cyn/ |date=June 22, 2016 |archive-date=October 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029015737/http://www.wweek.com/music/2016/06/22/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-the-perfect-cyn/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with Ben Tactic |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2016/08/09/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-ben-tactic/ |date=August 9, 2016 |archive-date=August 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827075921/http://www.wweek.com/music/2016/08/09/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-ben-tactic/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with Laura Lynn |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2016/08/30/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-laura-lynn/ |date=August 30, 2016 |archive-date=August 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806131248/http://www.wweek.com/music/2016/08/30/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-laura-lynn/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with Nutritious |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2016/10/11/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-nutritious/ |date=October 11, 2016 |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810043554/http://www.wweek.com/music/2016/10/11/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-nutritious/ |url-status=live }}Singer, Matthew. Willamette Week. Retrieved January 10, 2021:
• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange, Out-of-Towner Edition: A DJ Questionnaire with Jacob Pena of Sweater Funk (San Francisco) |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2017/05/23/needle-exchange-out-of-towner-edition-a-dj-questionnaire-with-jacob-pena-of-sweater-funk-san-francisco/ |date=May 23, 2017 |archive-date=May 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170524072752/http://www.wweek.com/music/2017/05/23/needle-exchange-out-of-towner-edition-a-dj-questionnaire-with-jacob-pena-of-sweater-funk-san-francisco/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with Drexler |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2017/07/27/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-drexler/ |date=July 27, 2017 |archive-date=July 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728030505/http://www.wweek.com/music/2017/07/27/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-drexler/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with J-Prez |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2017/08/30/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-j-prez/ |date=September 8, 2017 |archive-date=September 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913111344/http://www.wweek.com/music/2017/08/30/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-j-prez/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with Timothy Bee |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2017/10/17/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-timothy-bee/ |date=October 17, 2017 |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020181821/https://www.wweek.com/music/2017/10/17/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-timothy-bee/ |url-status=live }}Singer, Matthew. Willamette Week. Retrieved January 10, 2021:
• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with Dirty Deeds |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2018/01/03/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-dirty-deeds/ |date=January 3, 2018 |archive-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923191023/https://www.wweek.com/music/2018/01/03/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-dirty-deeds/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with Tyler Tastemaker |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2018/03/07/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-tyler-tastemaker/ |date=March 7, 2018 |archive-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919005852/https://www.wweek.com/music/2018/03/07/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-tyler-tastemaker/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |title=Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with Brother Charlie |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2018/04/19/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-brother-charlie/ |date=April 19, 2018 |archive-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919061900/https://www.wweek.com/music/2018/04/19/needle-exchange-a-dj-questionnaire-with-brother-charlie/ |url-status=live }} In 2017, the bar hosted 1984: New Wave Night on the night before Thanksgiving,{{cite news |last1=Singer |first1=Matthew |title=Where to Spend Thanksgiving Eve in Portland |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2017/11/21/where-to-spend-thanksgiving-eve-in-portland/ |access-date=January 10, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=November 21, 2017 |archive-date=October 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029111313/https://www.wweek.com/music/2017/11/21/where-to-spend-thanksgiving-eve-in-portland/ |url-status=live }} and Mothers and Mega Bog performed there in 2018.{{cite news |title=Things to Do Tuesday! |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2018/10/15/23625388/things-to-do-tuesday |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=Portland Mercury |date=October 15, 2018 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115222445/https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2018/10/15/23625388/things-to-do-tuesday |url-status=live }} The venue hosted the monthly hip hop event Thirsty City, as of 2018,{{cite news |title=The 38 Best Things to Do in Portland This Weekend: Oct 26–28 |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/things-to-do/2018/10/25/23962079/the-38-best-things-to-do-in-portland-this-weekend-oct-26-28 |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=Portland Mercury |date=October 25, 2018 |archive-date=March 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329144649/https://www.portlandmercury.com/things-to-do/2018/10/25/23962079/the-38-best-things-to-do-in-portland-this-weekend-oct-26-28 |url-status=live }} and the techno series SubSensory, as of 2019. The latter, according to Mixmag{{'s}} Kelly Cramer, showcased "an impressive array of first time PDX appearances and continues to push the techno envelope".{{cite journal |last1=Cramer |first1=Kelly |title=8 of the Best Parties Happening in Portland |journal=Mixmag |date=August 20, 2019 |url=https://mixmag.net/feature/8-of-the-best-parties-happening-in-portland |access-date=January 15, 2021 |issn=0957-6622 |oclc=780074556 |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107230124/https://mixmag.net/feature/8-of-the-best-parties-happening-in-portland |url-status=live }}

The bar hosted the monthly jazz series Daniel Rossi Presents, as of 2019. Willamette Week{{'s}} Donovan Farley described the series as "boundary-pushing" and "affordable", successfully accomplishing the goals of local jazz and rock musician Daniel Rossi, who began organizing accessible performances showcasing jazz fusion. Rossi said of the series, "I approached the Liq, which was in my mind because they have a great live music program and it used to be the Blue Monk, which was a jazz club I used to go to back in the day. The idea is to get young people that would usually go to, or even play, indie-rock shows or psych-rock shows at a place where they're comfortable like the Liquor Store and expose them to this cool music they might not otherwise seek out."{{Cite news |url=https://www.wweek.com/music/2019/03/28/jazz-has-a-high-point-of-entry-both-culturally-and-financially-a-new-showcase-wants-to-change-that/ |title=Jazz Has a High Point of Entry, Both Culturally and Financially. A New Showcase Wants to Change That. |work=Willamette Week |date=March 28, 2019 |first=Donovan |last=Farley |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107235414/https://www.wweek.com/music/2019/03/28/jazz-has-a-high-point-of-entry-both-culturally-and-financially-a-new-showcase-wants-to-change-that/ |url-status=live }} Other recurring events, as of 2019, included the Andaz Bhangra Bollywood Dance Party featuring urban desi and Indian dance pop and Spend the Night with "buzzy" European industrial music.{{cite news |last1=Gormley |first1=Shannon |title=You Can Dance to Just About Anything You Want to in Portland |url=https://www.wweek.com/culture/2019/02/12/you-can-dance-to-just-about-anything-you-want-to-in-portland/ |access-date=January 10, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=February 12, 2019 |archive-date=April 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414040019/https://www.wweek.com/culture/2019/02/12/you-can-dance-to-just-about-anything-you-want-to-in-portland/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=The 40 Best Things to Do in Portland This Weekend: Feb 21–23 |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/things-to-do/2020/02/19/28010290/the-40-best-things-to-do-in-portland-this-weekend-feb-21-23 |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=Portland Mercury |date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=February 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224150659/https://www.portlandmercury.com/things-to-do/2020/02/19/28010290/the-40-best-things-to-do-in-portland-this-weekend-feb-21-23 |url-status=live }}

File:Southeast Portland, Oregon (January 2021) 134.jpg]]

The bar closed temporarily on March 17, 2020, in response to indoor dining restrictions enforced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. DuBois pledged to contribute "a large sum" to a relief fund for furloughed workers created by Morrone. In April, two former employees filed separate lawsuits in Multnomah County Circuit Court alleging misconduct by DuBois was tolerated by management. One sought $750,000 in damages, citing a "hostile" work environment, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination. The other sued for $1 in nominal damages and accused DuBois of assault, battery, and infliction of emotional distress for allegedly sexually assaulting her" at work,{{Cite web|last=Zielinski|first=Alex|date=May 13, 2020|title=Lawsuit Accuses SE Portland Bar of Tolerating Investor's Persistent Sexual Harassment of Staff|url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2020/05/13/28417834/lawsuit-accuses-se-portland-bar-of-tolerating-investors-persistent-sexual-harassment-of-staff|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928044531/https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2020/05/13/28417834/lawsuit-accuses-se-portland-bar-of-tolerating-investors-persistent-sexual-harassment-of-staff|archive-date=September 28, 2020|access-date=January 10, 2021|work=Portland Mercury|language=en}} and said he "intentionally and forcefully grabbed an intimate part of her body below the waist, with no warning, against her will and without her permission" in 2019. Reporting on the lawsuits, Eater Portland and the Portland Mercury described complaints by other former employees as well, and said DuBois's planned donation to the COVID-19 relief fund would instead be used for legal fees. DuBois had denied all of the accusations of harassment. Morrone told Willamette Week that the bar "always worked very hard to provide a welcoming and safe place for all of our employees and guests" but declined to provide further commentary.{{Cite news |url=https://www.wweek.com/bars/2020/05/11/southeast-portland-bar-the-liquor-store-is-being-sued-by-former-employees-who-allege-repeated-sexual-misconduct-by-an-investor/ |title=Former Employees Sue Southeast Portland Bar the Liquor Store, Alleging Sexual Misconduct by an Investor |first=Matthew |last=Singer |date=May 11, 2020 |work=Willamette Week |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028182752/https://www.wweek.com/bars/2020/05/11/southeast-portland-bar-the-liquor-store-is-being-sued-by-former-employees-who-allege-repeated-sexual-misconduct-by-an-investor/ |url-status=live }}

Plans to end the Belmont operation were confirmed in September 2020. Morrone confirmed he was "looking at other locations and opportunities" and said, "I don't foresee a large demand for an underground, basement nightclub anytime soon. But we have a great relationship with the landlord. Who knows what will happen in these strange times." In January 2021, Bar Midnight confirmed plans to move into the space.

In 2015, Cizmar wrote, "On Saturday nights, the basement is a cramped dance club. But on weeknights, the homey upstairs bar joins with Aalto Lounge across the street to create the best living room/den combination you'll find outside a Hillsdale split level." He said the Blue Monk cocktail was "just a little on the sweet side, but with an acidic bite from lime juice". Portland Business Journal readers said The Liquor Store was among the city's best-named bars.{{cite journal |last1=Giegerich |first1=Andy |title=Eat It Up: Portland's top bar names, celebrating the best pub appetizer, 'Restaurant of the Year' brouhaha |journal=Portland Business Journal |date=June 19, 2015 |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/morning_call/2015/06/eat-it-up-portlands-top-bar-names-celebrating-the.html |access-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116170103/https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/morning_call/2015/06/eat-it-up-portlands-top-bar-names-celebrating-the.html |url-status=live }} The Liquor Store won in the Best New Bar category in Willamette Week{{'s}} annual readers' poll in 2015 and 2016.{{cite news |title=Best of Portland Readers' Poll |url=https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-25089-best-of-portland-readers-poll.html |access-date=January 20, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=July 14, 2015 |archive-date=January 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106055602/https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-25089-best-of-portland-readers-poll.html |url-status=live }} Readers ranked the venue third in the Best Bar category in 2016.{{cite news |title=Best of Portland Reader's Poll 2016: The Complete List of Winners |url=https://www.wweek.com/promotions/2016/07/18/bop2016/ |access-date=January 20, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=July 18, 2016 |archive-date=January 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106055341/https://www.wweek.com/promotions/2016/07/18/bop2016/ |url-status=live }} In 2017, the newspaper's Walker MacMurdo recommended the cornbread macaroni and cheese and wrote:{{Quote|On weekend nights, ... Liquor Store may be so packed that a wall of young, hip revelers actually calcify into an impenetrable shield around the bar, glued together by cigarette smoke. The place is actually too cool for you to get a drink, sometimes. Maybe it's the upstairs DJ spinning selections from the hundreds-deep wall of vinyl ... or the house gig eternally raging in the basement venue, but something at the heart of this cozy-but-not-too-cozy everyman bar and sometime-nightclub encourages debauchery. It's like partying at the parental home of a rich friend who doesn't give a shit.}}

The Portland Mercury included The Liquor Store in a 2019 list of the "best places to check out Portland's music scene".{{cite news |title=The Best Places to Check Out Portland's Music Scene |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/visitors-guide-to-portland-2019/2019/05/21/26534454/the-best-places-to-check-out-portlands-music-scene |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=Portland Mercury |date=May 21, 2019 |archive-date=December 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208230811/https://www.portlandmercury.com/visitors-guide-to-portland-2019/2019/05/21/26534454/the-best-places-to-check-out-portlands-music-scene |url-status=live }} Fodor's Inside Portland (2020) said, "To be clear, this darkly lit drinking and live music venue ... is not an actual liquor store. But it does stock one of the more impressive selections of booze along this youthful stretch of Belmont bars and eateries, and there's a reliably good selection of bar food."{{cite book |title=Fodor's Inside Portland |date=April 7, 2020 |publisher=Fodor's |page=234 |isbn=9781640972513 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Iz_ZDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Liquor+Store%22%2B%22Portland%22&pg=PT234 |access-date=January 17, 2021 |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118161243/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Fodor_s_Inside_Portland/Iz_ZDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Liquor+Store%22%2B%22Portland%22&pg=PT234&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the music industry
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry in the United States

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.theliquorstorepdx.com}}
• {{cite news |title=Here, Drink This: Five Restaurant-Quality Cocktails You Can Make at Home |url=https://www.wweek.com/bars/2020/03/26/here-drink-this-five-restaurant-quality-cocktails-you-can-make-at-home/ |work=Willamette Week |date=March 26, 2020}}

{{Defunct restaurants in Portland, Oregon}}

{{Music venues in Portland, Oregon}}

{{Sunnyside, Portland, Oregon}}

{{Portal bar|Drink|Food|Music|Oregon}}

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Category:2015 establishments in Oregon

Category:2020 disestablishments in Oregon

Category:Defunct drinking establishments in Oregon

Category:Defunct music venues in Portland, Oregon

Category:Defunct restaurants in Sunnyside, Portland, Oregon

Category:Restaurants disestablished due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:Restaurants disestablished in 2020

Category:Restaurants established in 2015