Bed Bath & .... beer? Aventura store goes beyond home goods

Customers of Bed Bath & Beyond in Aventura can soon purchase both Kate Spade china and and a bottle of cabernet in one stop.

The home goods and personal products store is going beyond its typical sheets, towels and kitchenware, adding a small grocery section stocked with beer and wine to the center of the store. It will be the chain’s first Florida location to offer groceries.

Aventura commissioners Tuesday approved the change for the 19205 Biscayne Blvd. location.The alcohol will be sold within the anticipated World Market grocery section, which will be added within the year.

The grocery addition at Bed Bath & Beyond stores follows the chain’s 2013 purchase of Cost Plus World Market. According to documents presented at the meeting, the grocery store-within-a-store will be added to 13 locations nationwide.

The Aventura store, which currently has 39,306 square feet of sales floor for home goods and personal products, will reset its narrow aisles to make room for the 4,546-square-foot World Market section, a store manager told the commission. The alcohol section, which will include selections of craft beers and wines from Europe, South America and the United States, will only account for 2 percent of the store’s floor space.

The commission approved the sale of beer and wine, even though its location is not in compliance with a city prohibition against alcohol sales within 1,500 feet of a business with an existing liquor license or within 2,500 feet of a religious facility or school. The Aventura Bed Bath & Beyond is near Ojus Elementary School, three synagogues and two businesses with existing liquor licenses.

The approved resolution allows the store to sell beer and wine only if it is sold in conjunction with the grocery section, which needs to be established within 12 months of the city’s approval. The store also must obtain a liquor license from the state. All employees will be required to undergo training that focuses on the appropriate age and hours of alcohol sale.

Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman joked during the meeting, asking if the frequent “20% Off” mailer coupons can be used when purchasing beer and wine. (No, according to the store manager.) Quipped Commissioner Howard Weinberg, “That would have been the beyond.”

This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Bed Bath & .... beer? Aventura store goes beyond home goods."