Bottles by Sickles in Red Bank, sister store of Sickles Market, files for bankruptcy

RED BANK - Bottles by Sickles, a sister store to Sickles Market, has filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection, the latest development in the demise of one of Monmouth County's oldest and most well-known businesses.

In its bankruptcy filing, TST Beverages LLC, doing business as Bottles by Sickles, lists $5.26 million in liabilities and $549,388 in assets, including its retail liquor license valued at $400,000. The court papers, first reported by Patch, were filed on April 23.

Bottles by Sickles, which was located at 200 Monmouth St. in Red Bank, recently closed after its landlord, Metrovation, the owner of the Anderson Building, filed eviction papers.

Bottles by Sickles, which opened in 2019, was the last remaining store associated with Sickles Market, a family-owned business in Little Silver with deep roots in Monmouth County. Sickles Market closed its Red Bank store, a location open for nearly four years, in February.

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On March 11, its landmark store in Little Silver which was founded in 1908, abruptly shut its doors for good. Between January and March, 117 employees were laid off. Bottles by Sickles remained open until just over a week ago.

In an interview following the closure of the Little Silver store, owner Bob Sickles Jr. blamed the store's woes on the poor performance of Sickles Market's 2020 expansion into Red Bank's West Side, the COVID lockdown and its aftermath for the company's troubles. The Red Bank store "wasn't good for us," he said.

Court papers filed by TST Beverages lists the debts of Bottles by Sickles.

You can see the full filing at the bottom of this story.

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The largest unsecured debtor is listed as Northfield Bank of Woodbridge which has a $4.5 million claim. Other creditors include Farmlind Produce LLC of River Vale, $213,218; C. Rooney Produce Co., of Sea Bright, $100,235; and Four Seasons Produce of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, $90,935. Various beer, wine and beverage distributors also are listed as creditors.

The company's lawyer, Andrew J. Kelly of Spring Lake, also has filed court papers for permission to hire an auctioneer, A.J. Wilner Auctions, to sell the company's assets, which includes its retail liquor license, inventory and store fixtures.

Metrovation, which restored and remodeled the former Anderson Moving & Storage building and leased the ground floor to Sickles as its anchor tenant, filed a lawsuit in state Superior Court on March 1 over the closure of the Red Bank store. It said it is owed more than $324,000 in back rent and late fees, according to court papers.

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Since it closed, Sickles Market's legal troubles have worsened, as the stores' suppliers have filed lawsuits against the company and Bob Sickles Jr. for over tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.

Holiday Meats of New Jersey, which is based in Little Silver, said it is owed $116,845 in unpaid charges that date back to October 2023, according to court papers. "Payment has been demanded and no payment has been made," states the lawsuit. It was filed on March 18.

Performance Food Group Inc., Elizabeth, has filed a lawsuit against Sickles Market and Sickles Red Bank over a total of nearly $80,392 in unpaid bills, according to court papers. Plus, the company also wants Sickles to pay $20,098 for its legal costs, the lawsuit states.

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World's Best Cheeses of Armonk, New York, filed a lawsuit against Sickles Market over $31,446 in unpaid bills.

Food Merchants of Brooklyn also filed a lawsuit against Sickles Market and Sickles Red Bank, seeking $8,705 for unpaid bills and attorney's fees.

Bottles by Sickles bankruptcy by Dennis Carmody on Scribd

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for more than 25 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bottles by Sickles in Red Bank files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy