A longtime Massachusetts liquor store owner says he has so far been unable to manage a liquor store as 2024 comes to a close, despite vandals breaking into his store Sunday night and destroying about $250,000 worth of liquor. I feel more grateful than ever.
McAloon's Liquors was the target of a brutal break-in that left broken bottles and spilled alcohol in the aisles of the North Andover store leading up to New Year's Eve, the biggest night of the year for the business.
“Last night, someone with a bright mind came in and decided, for reasons I don't know, to ransack the store,” owner Bill Buco said. he said in an Instagram video. He showed hundreds of broken bottles covering the floor.
Mr. Buco, who has run this store for 48 years, told NBC 10 Boston. Approximately $250,000 worth of inventory was destroyed. his son told 7 News Boston. “I had bottles up to my ankles.”
But the surrounding community quickly rallied on all fours to help.
“When I saw that, I said, 'We're going to have to hire a professional company to do this.' Next thing I knew, there were 50 people out here raking and cleaning. I'm doing it,” Buco told NBC10.
“The love in this town is incredible and I hope the people who live here appreciate that.”
One of our loyal patrons, Mark DiSalvo, told 7News McAloon's, “It's a true iconic place in town, and it's our duty to just sit down and help.”
Store employee Joan Carney said the group's cleanup efforts show how much New England townspeople care about each other.
“I'm just shocked by the people who show up with brooms and gloves and say, 'Let me take out the trash…and let's pick up this wine.' It's just amazing,” Carney said. told the station.
Footage from Seven News shows the store was largely spotless hours after the vandalism was discovered by police around 1.30am.
Buco, de follow up video In a post on Instagram, people were asking for help because “his phone kept ringing.”
“This was terrible, but the beauty of what I see now overshadows what happened,” he said.
