Does a liquor store qualify as a neighborhood institution? If so, J&J Drug, which is in fact a liquor store on East 11th Street, surely makes the cut. If not, “landmark” or “fixture” will have to do.

Owned and operated since 1968 by members of the Joseph family — primarily twin brothers Harold and Howard — the liquor store stuck with the neighborhood through thick and thin, surviving both the blight that overtook the area in the 70s and 80s and the boom that has lately overtaken it in equal measure.

In recent years, J&J has been known for the old shotgun mounted behind the register and its generous, friendly owner Twin, who was almost always behind the counter.

In recent years, the store has been known both for its artifacts reaching back to sketchier times — notably an old shotgun mounted behind the register, which had not been needed in many years — and its generous, friendly owner/operators with great memories for names and faces. The past couple of years, it's been presided over by brother Harold, who came to be known as “Twin” (Howard passed away last December). Harold and the other owners kept up with the times, though, and stocked more and more au courant liquors in the tiny, crowded store as money and craft-everything preferences flowed into the neighborhood.

Harold and family finally passed the torch recently, selling the business to owner/operators Rachel Lingvai and Billy Benedict and a few other neighborhood investors (the Josephs still own the building, which also houses the Longbranch Inn). There have been renovations and product additions, but they new owners are committed to maintaining the store’s status as a welcoming, familiar neighborhood place. “We’re a bridge between old school and new school,” says Lingvai. “We still want the old school here.”

Lingvai lived in J&J’s central East Side neighborhood for several years, as has Benedict, who still lives there. “I was a neighbor and a customer of the place,” he says. “I purposely spent my money here, in my neighborhood. It was like voting.”

For him, it was important to keep it in the neighborhood, doing essentially what it has done for decades. “I wanted the neighborhood to have its store,” he says.

J&J Spirits will celebrate its history and its future with a grand relaunch tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2pm-7pm (weather be damned). There will be tastings from Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Garrison Brothers Bourbon, Dulce Vida Organic Tequila, Virtuoso Selections Wines and Pioneer Wine Company, music and more.

While you bide your time until Saturday afternoon, here are some fun facts about J&J old and new to keep you occupied: