Before I became a residential architect. my very first job was a clerk in a neighborhood Safeway which taught me to appreciate the importance of an easy close way to my food supply. WW2Air Force service only reinforced that. JGAIA
3
Lets not forget about the 1 supermarket on Roosevelt Island that price gouges the residents on a daily basis. Consumer affairs & Public advocates office aware of this for decades, but they do nothing. Roosevelt Island Authority who leases the space is a patronage job mill of ppl who dont even live on the island, and could care less.
2
Meanwhile, downtown Boston just welcomed a most amazing full grocery store - Roche Bros. It has a huge food assortment, a large breakfast/salad bar, and a ton of fresh food - all in brand new digs. Additionally, they opened a wonderful liquor store downtown too, Gordon's Fine Wines and Liquors. They have a beautiful store with lots of tastings and knowledgeable help. They have transformed living downtown Boston for many people, and spurred residential development.
2
NYC has become a city for the rich (and the NYT knows this as well as anyone, since its ads are increasingly targeted to a wealthy audience). a while back I idly clicked on a link to "Fall Backpacks" in either the Fashion and Style section or T magazine, hoping to see something affordable yet stylish. Wrong! Everything was thousands of dollars. It's a shame, but not surprising, that groceries stores for the middle class are going the way of everything else for the middle class in NYC (think affordable housing)--out the door, never to return.
3
Back in the day when my parents came home from WWII we used to have something called neighborhoods and communities. Imagine a place where people had jobs, food was affordable, a movie was 25 cents (for the whole day) and mom was reliably home, taking care of the kids. It was a strange world. There were neighborhood stores and schools. The employees were local people who we knew and knew you too. Life wasn't easy then. People struggled to make it. If you bought a new car you were king for a day! It was something special. Going to the high school football or basketball game was fun and safe. The corner grocery store was owned by a local family and all their kids worked at the store. Those kids went to school with your kids and church and synagogue too. We all had respect for each other.
I know I'm a dinosaur. Ancient plus. Our world and way of life was different. Anathema to today's way of life.
At age 3 in 1950 my mother would send to me to the little grocery store at the end of Cypress Ave. She give me a list of things to buy and maybe two dollars or so. There was a basket on the handlebars of my tricycle. The grocer would look at the list, then he'd take the groceries off the shelf. Before he put them in the bag he's write on the bag each item and the price. Then he'd give me change and saw that I got on my trike and head home.
Try that in today's world. The trike would be stolen. The money taken. The child would be abducted, abused and probably killed before arriving.
I know I'm a dinosaur. Ancient plus. Our world and way of life was different. Anathema to today's way of life.
At age 3 in 1950 my mother would send to me to the little grocery store at the end of Cypress Ave. She give me a list of things to buy and maybe two dollars or so. There was a basket on the handlebars of my tricycle. The grocer would look at the list, then he'd take the groceries off the shelf. Before he put them in the bag he's write on the bag each item and the price. Then he'd give me change and saw that I got on my trike and head home.
Try that in today's world. The trike would be stolen. The money taken. The child would be abducted, abused and probably killed before arriving.
9
And the mother would be charged with child endangerment and depraved indifference (hey, I'm a fan of Senior ADA Jack McCoy).
4
Our neighborhood in Hudson Heights just thwarted the take over of our local supermarket by Walgreens. That would have decimated the whole area. It would have put our local pharmacy out of business. Fresh Direct would have been the only other option for shopping here and that would have disrupted street traffic which is already disastrous. As a reward, the once grungy food market has remodeled and upgraded to be as attractive and interesting as any whole foods or other larger brand. We are very happy about the results of our community response to Walgreens' attempt.
7
Economics, my friends, economics. You gotta accept it. Or perhaps Elizabeth Warren could introduce a bill that forces landlords to accept lower rent from "quaint" food stores, especially if they carry gluten-free items, French cheeses and wines.
1
Supermarkets require a vast inventory on hand in a large propery often in a high cost to maintain retail district. Their profit margin is lower than in most retail businesses. Neighborhoods with lines of patrons having $50 or more in sales as they wait for checkout make a local Supermarket profitable. Customers who dawdle at the register over what is termed in this article an armful of groceries have never been profitable to large supermarkets. As people who cook on occasion at home for a dozen peole are replaced as customers by newcomers who eat out or buy only those baby wipes or whatever the big markets have a harder time staying afloat than other retailers close en masse. O
1
What is not understand for ages is why NYCHA housing has the worst supermarket options for residents? How much did the supermarket lobbyist get for helping to close the Pathmark on the LES? Why can't there be a Trader Joe's in a NYCHA housing complex? How is it that the city does all these studies about food deserts, and years ago Scott Stringer came out with a crappy cookbook addressing the need to eat healthy. Yet, the largest landlord the city of ny can't provide healthy choices to low, moderate and middle class residents or help small biz supermarket owners succeed. We will all continue eating unhealthy if our only food choices are going to come from Duane Read or some other big box store.
3
Well, at least this article is a refreshing change from the usual NY Times articles that say New Yorkers eat out all the time.
2
I'm the Town Supervisor of Greenburgh NY. We lost a supermarket a few years back in my town. A thought I had that I would like to pursue: a local school, dept of labor, housing authority, community college or community center could open up a small supermarket and use the supermarket as vocational training opportunity for the unemployed. Teach the unemployed how to start and manage a business. Everyone benefits: the community gets a supermarket. The unemployed will get job training skills and learn how to start and manage a business. And, schools will become relevant to those who did not appreciate the value of further education.
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor
4
I'm an aging baby boomer. We lived in the Bronx near the Grand Concourse at 138th St. and Cypress Ave. We had a corner grocery and some small speciality shops, like, believe it or not, a kosher fish market. There was an A&P on the avenue. Compared to today's modern, oversized, computerized giants, it was almost a corner store. There are no longer any neighborhoods with little mom and pop groceries or anything else. No one knows us or our kids. We don't know where the food comes from, despite labels. I don't believe the printed expiration dates. I come from a world that no longer exists. One reason we no longer have neighborhoods is the replacement of small businesses with big box retailers. I don't long for the old days. It was not easy then. But I do remember a time when we lived differently. Our streets and homes were safe. We knew our neighbors and groceries could be found at the end of the street just around the corner. We could all afford groceries back then. There were few artificial ingredients and no such thing as BOGO. It would be nice to at least have a convenient store and be able to walk to the store. Oh. And walk there and back without getting mugged.
9
I live half a block from the Gristede's here in Brooklyn Heights, and never go in. Locals call the place "Grosstede's" because of the high prices and notorious reputation for selling outdated food. There's a place directly across the street that is open 24 hours, and has expanded several times over the years.
The Garden of Eden on Montague Street, although no longer part of the chain, is still open, still selling the same foods. And I can walk to Trader Joe's, and while I'm there, shop at the fruit and veg place, Sahadi's, or any of a dozen other smaller, local stores in the immediate area. For products I can't buy there, I go to the Key Food Supermarket 4 blocks away.
Commenters outside the NYC area must understand that almost none of the local stores have parking lots. Few of the people here drive. And there are no Wal-Marts anywhere in NYC.
If all else fails, there are major markets accessible via the subway. Or, you can buy groceries from Fresh Direct and, lately, Amazon Fresh.
The Garden of Eden on Montague Street, although no longer part of the chain, is still open, still selling the same foods. And I can walk to Trader Joe's, and while I'm there, shop at the fruit and veg place, Sahadi's, or any of a dozen other smaller, local stores in the immediate area. For products I can't buy there, I go to the Key Food Supermarket 4 blocks away.
Commenters outside the NYC area must understand that almost none of the local stores have parking lots. Few of the people here drive. And there are no Wal-Marts anywhere in NYC.
If all else fails, there are major markets accessible via the subway. Or, you can buy groceries from Fresh Direct and, lately, Amazon Fresh.
10
"And there are no Wal-Marts anywhere in NYC."
One of the best things about NYC.
One of the best things about NYC.
6
One point the article skips -- supermarkets provide jobs! many even were unionized at one time. Oh well one step closer to a jobless future.
15
Growing up in S IN, my parents had the typical grocery store with meat being the specialty. Supermarkets were very late coming to this small town in S IN. There simply was not enough potential until finally Walmart built one of their super centers.
When I moved to the upper east side in the late 60, got into the swing of things by buying one of those 2 wheeled carts that held 4 of those 1/6 barrel paper bags. There was an old A & P on 79th and first - go there on a Saturday afternoon and out front would be a FDY ladder truck and the guys would be inside buying food for their Saturday night dinner.
When buying groceries for a party - always went to Gristedes as they had the best quality of everything.
Now am a member of Costco - great meat at very good prices and they are the world's largest wine retailer. They have it all from Dom to their $8 1.5L bottles of very good wine at incredible prices.
Being a butcher paid for my education at Purdue and I graduated with money in the bank and no debt. Now all meat is prepared in large factories and is shipped in boxes already broken into retail units.
Having been in small French grocery stores, their selection cheese is fantastic - my favorite being very young semi soft cheese made from raw milk which is illegal in the USA. The French call cheese made from pasteurized milk an industrial produce they won't eat - agree with the French.
When I moved to the upper east side in the late 60, got into the swing of things by buying one of those 2 wheeled carts that held 4 of those 1/6 barrel paper bags. There was an old A & P on 79th and first - go there on a Saturday afternoon and out front would be a FDY ladder truck and the guys would be inside buying food for their Saturday night dinner.
When buying groceries for a party - always went to Gristedes as they had the best quality of everything.
Now am a member of Costco - great meat at very good prices and they are the world's largest wine retailer. They have it all from Dom to their $8 1.5L bottles of very good wine at incredible prices.
Being a butcher paid for my education at Purdue and I graduated with money in the bank and no debt. Now all meat is prepared in large factories and is shipped in boxes already broken into retail units.
Having been in small French grocery stores, their selection cheese is fantastic - my favorite being very young semi soft cheese made from raw milk which is illegal in the USA. The French call cheese made from pasteurized milk an industrial produce they won't eat - agree with the French.
5
In my neighborhood, there are three large-scale grocery stores and a Traders Joe's within 2 miles. The people are friendly, the stores are clean, the produce is always fresh, the wine selection is remarkable, and there is no end to the organic choices. But it's not in NYC. It's in Albuquerque.
3
Yes - 2 miles away is probably 2 neighborhoods away in NYC!
3
I get around all of this nonsense of cramped, overpriced, crowded supermarkets and use Fresh Direct. The prices are sometimes quite a bit lower and they do the grunt work of lugging it to your door. No brainer for me.
8
But you've missed the point - the article was about community cohesion and a sense of someone looking out for you - as well as essential items. Relationships, this is what is being eroded.
9
That's fine until there's a blizzard or tropical storm and Fresh Direct can't deliver, but the good ol' trusty neighborhood supermarket is open.
11
Dodos Of New York (haiku duet) "Corner shops that once - made big city neighborhoods - feel like small towns; pfft!"; "Corner shops made mom - and pop a living but not - at ten percent rent"
1
The city should take an approach to non-restaurant food services like they do public parks and streets & utilities. Provision for them to located conveniently should be subsidized not left to the "free market." Simply put the city should provide rent controlled space to grocers sufficient to allow most every resident to easily access groceries without undue expense in time or cash. Everyone eats, no person does not need a food store.
9
When topics like this come up it seems everyone forgets NYC is made up of five bouroughs. It's always about Manhattan. If they talk about brooklyn it's Park Slope, or Dumbo. There are places like ridgewood, flushing, pehlam, sheephead bay and others besides Manhattan.,
5
No there aren't LOL! The only time other boroughs or neighborhoods count is when good things are happening. A new bus route; crime went down; more charter schools; money spent on infrastructure...
I grew up in a little town in the Midwest where the local family owned grocers were all put out of business by Walmart and the big box stores. Everyone lamented the 'evil' corporations putting mom and pop stores out of business without mentioning how much more those mom and pop stores charged. Where I lived, I remember families gleefully traveling over an hour r/t to go to Walmart or Meijers because it was half the price. The local stores had 7/11 prices. Even runs for milk and bread were down the freeway to the nearest Walmart because of the resentment towards the prices of the local stores. It's easily to say 'buy local' and tout the local places when you are well off. Families living paycheck to paycheck are going to the cheapest option even if it's a haul. Price matters most, not location, even in NYC.
7
Most NY'ers don't have cars. Distance matters. Older people also will eat less but carry shorter.
7
Wow, living in the city is depressing. You can't breathe, it's never quiet, the streets, sidewalks, and buildings are absolutely filthy (judging by photos.) Prices kill your freedom to have spare time, and you can't find a food store. If you can find basic food you don't have the kitchen counter space to actually cook. It's like living on a boat docked in hell. Oh, but the culture!
7
There are plenty of clean (well, clean enough), quiet and airy neighborhoods in the city. The Times doesn't know they exist because their editorial employess don't live in them -- they are not hip enough.
5
The author is clue author is clueless about the food issues facing middle and working class people if she thinks that Whole Foods represents price competition. It is one of the most expensive chains out there, and is way overpriced for a family of moderate means. It has a great selection of fresh foods and meats, but cleaning supplies and other necessities are limited and are available only at high prices. Why were people not happy about WF replacing a Pathmark store? It was because they could afford to shop at Pathmark, but could not afford WF.
Stores such as Wegmans are successful and growing because they offer what consumers want: a wide selection of foods, low prices, and good service. Wegmans has a large selection of organic products, as well as branded and private label goods to meet most consumer demands. And their prices are competitive with other mass merchandisers, which means much below the corner stores and WF. As for service, they are one 24/7, so it does not matter what your work schedule is.
Other chains also offer benefits to consumers. Middle class families should not have to suffer high prices so that a few can boast of their neighborhood stores.
Stores such as Wegmans are successful and growing because they offer what consumers want: a wide selection of foods, low prices, and good service. Wegmans has a large selection of organic products, as well as branded and private label goods to meet most consumer demands. And their prices are competitive with other mass merchandisers, which means much below the corner stores and WF. As for service, they are one 24/7, so it does not matter what your work schedule is.
Other chains also offer benefits to consumers. Middle class families should not have to suffer high prices so that a few can boast of their neighborhood stores.
17
Ahem, their cleaning supplies are pricey, because they are organic and handcrafted in Brooklyn from non-GMO compost.
God, I despise Whole Foods. Always chaotic, crowded, and just... too full of themselves. I'm surprised by folks still singing their praises, as I would have thought the "asparagus water" fiasco would have opened people's eyes to the absurdity and pretentiousness of this cartel. Thank god they haven't invaded the UES yet. I'd rather buy a $6 apple from Eli's (in theory--but thankfully I have other options) than give WF a dime. At least Eli's is still a family business that didn't feel the need to expand into oblivion.
God, I despise Whole Foods. Always chaotic, crowded, and just... too full of themselves. I'm surprised by folks still singing their praises, as I would have thought the "asparagus water" fiasco would have opened people's eyes to the absurdity and pretentiousness of this cartel. Thank god they haven't invaded the UES yet. I'd rather buy a $6 apple from Eli's (in theory--but thankfully I have other options) than give WF a dime. At least Eli's is still a family business that didn't feel the need to expand into oblivion.
Welcome to 1980, from the rest of us
5
"...you can dash in for a carton of milk or a loaf of bread. Need some oranges or apples? Great. They’re piled beneath the faded awning just outside the door."
I hear the pain when it comes to the closing of more neighborhood stores, be it corner stores or mom-and-pops bakery or any other small local businesses for that matter. Who wouldn't, really? But the reasoning that this NYT article puts forth is not that compelling.
Is it really that we cannot dash in/out of a big franchise store in a hurry? I doubt that.
The most distinction that these small stores offer, is the personal touch ("they know customers by their names"), and lower prices (maybe).
At the end of the day, it comes down to where customers vote with their pocket book. Words are cheap. Never mind that most people SAY they want their corner stores to survive. If they are not shopping there to support these small businesses, then there's that. I'd bet most people love the big airy elegant looking shops, rather than some dinghy, sad looking corner stores around, even though they won't admit to it. And they love low prices whenever they can get it.
As to convenience, wait till the day when amazon will deliver the grocery to your door, saving your walking trip down the street. When that day comes, even Whole Foods or Wegmans won't survive it. Will they be willing to pay higher prices for the same grocer at corner stores just to keep them in business? That's the reality that ultimately consumers have to decide.
I hear the pain when it comes to the closing of more neighborhood stores, be it corner stores or mom-and-pops bakery or any other small local businesses for that matter. Who wouldn't, really? But the reasoning that this NYT article puts forth is not that compelling.
Is it really that we cannot dash in/out of a big franchise store in a hurry? I doubt that.
The most distinction that these small stores offer, is the personal touch ("they know customers by their names"), and lower prices (maybe).
At the end of the day, it comes down to where customers vote with their pocket book. Words are cheap. Never mind that most people SAY they want their corner stores to survive. If they are not shopping there to support these small businesses, then there's that. I'd bet most people love the big airy elegant looking shops, rather than some dinghy, sad looking corner stores around, even though they won't admit to it. And they love low prices whenever they can get it.
As to convenience, wait till the day when amazon will deliver the grocery to your door, saving your walking trip down the street. When that day comes, even Whole Foods or Wegmans won't survive it. Will they be willing to pay higher prices for the same grocer at corner stores just to keep them in business? That's the reality that ultimately consumers have to decide.
6
Another person fooled into thinking "Amazon will deliver ...." Why would you believe that nonsense? Amazon has hyped drone deliver because it catches the eye of fools, and so works as advertising. They will never ever deliver by drone, ever. The very idea is idiotic unless you want a pack of gum delivered somewhere within 100 years of your address. So they can use UPS/USPS, and you can pay $8 to get $30 worth of food delivered within two days.
9
I don't know about you but the "dinghy, sad looking corner stores" are where my friends and I spent our quarters and then dollars after school and all summer long, while growing up. The corner store or bodega is where my, and the neighborhood children, learned to budget, pool their money, figure out the best combinations in a hero and buy lunches for school and summer camp trips. You can't send a group of 9 year olds with a few dollars each, to Whole Foods.
1
@CK, I wouldn't bet against the will of Amazon in delivering all things to all people. Afterall, that's what people told Bezos too, that it's just fools errand in new categories like aws, or logistics, and look where we are today, even if it takes more than ten years for it to finesse it. And, sorry to break it to you, Amazon has bigger ideas than relying on UPS or USPS to do the last mile. (Didn't you read the news?)
Don't get me wrong, I'm not really a total Amazon fan. Afterall it's oftentimes not even the cheapest (in price) in town. You have to give them credit for smoothing out the user experience, and the purchase on Amazon, end-to-end, has always been smooth that I can't complain. But I'm also a realist. If competition cannot offer something more compelling, then they'll continue to fade away, and no one would be asking "Where Did My Supermarket Go?"
Don't get me wrong, I'm not really a total Amazon fan. Afterall it's oftentimes not even the cheapest (in price) in town. You have to give them credit for smoothing out the user experience, and the purchase on Amazon, end-to-end, has always been smooth that I can't complain. But I'm also a realist. If competition cannot offer something more compelling, then they'll continue to fade away, and no one would be asking "Where Did My Supermarket Go?"
1
Our friendly family-owned grocery store - 3 miles up the road - has struggled for years against Walmart and two discount chains. They hire local youth and teach them retail skills plus good manners. They run accounts for families who sell their tobacco crop once a year. They deliver to shut-ins and accident victims. They have tables and chairs where employees may keep an eye on an elderly parent during their workday.
But "It's cheaper at Walmart" - despite the 12-mile drive. I suppose it's cheaper at Duane Read and Whole Foods, too.
Has it occurred to working people that this is the same thinking that has sent THEIR jobs overseas?
But "It's cheaper at Walmart" - despite the 12-mile drive. I suppose it's cheaper at Duane Read and Whole Foods, too.
Has it occurred to working people that this is the same thinking that has sent THEIR jobs overseas?
29
Gristedes is a far cry from Mom and Pop, and to be truthful., Whole Foods has created in myself and perhaps others a demand for higher quality produce and organic food. I shop at Westerly, the best food market in NYC. 8th Avenue and 54th Street. For Fish, Sea Breeze, 40th and 9th. For Meat Whole Foods. There are great family owned meat markets in NYC, simply none near me. Yet, this requires a lot of walking.
West of 42nd Street there are literally thousands of new apartments built, enormous buildings. Where will everyone shop?
The biggest problem, every space in midtown gets turned into a tourist spot. High priced poor quality slop for people who don't live here. It's depressing how few choices one has not only to shop, but to go out for dinner. I won't even get into a bigger issue, traffic jams from pedicabs to Uber to giant tour busses. The city didn't regulate any of this and it's a mess. It's not worth going out. Hence the needs of locals are no longer a priority for shops and restaurants. Depressing quality of life. Time to move.
West of 42nd Street there are literally thousands of new apartments built, enormous buildings. Where will everyone shop?
The biggest problem, every space in midtown gets turned into a tourist spot. High priced poor quality slop for people who don't live here. It's depressing how few choices one has not only to shop, but to go out for dinner. I won't even get into a bigger issue, traffic jams from pedicabs to Uber to giant tour busses. The city didn't regulate any of this and it's a mess. It's not worth going out. Hence the needs of locals are no longer a priority for shops and restaurants. Depressing quality of life. Time to move.
23
Time to move is right. C'mon over to the far east (of 3rd Ave.). Compared to the West Side, it's downright serene, the rents are lower, and when you want to go out, you're a $12-$15 cab ride away of anywhere you want to go.
Gristedes is NOT a corner grocery store. The only people that can afford to do their weekly shopping there are the new inhabitants of the $2,000,000 studios that have come to dominate Chelsea.
19
Chicago lost most of its corner groceries several decades ago. It makes a huge difference to the social fabric of the community. Who knows who, whether seniors can stay in their homes, whether people even know each other... I have to wonder how much this has already impacted the US in general: By spring my health care information will be lodged - along with my white collar job - in India. We have pushed jobs overseas, people with $$$$$ have insulated themselves from everyone else, Democrats and Republicans are self-selecting into not only different parts of town but different cities....and states. How much has this affected social support systems, community cohesiveness, communications, and our society?
12
I certainly do not grieve the loss of small local grocers.
We live in Murray Hill, and are served by a Fairway, Trader Joe's, and Gristedes, all within a 2 block radius, as well as by a local grocer. The latter, seeing its impending demise from a new large local supermarket, converted half its floorspace into a restaurant and reduced its offerings.
Even though we are abundantly served, we have the bulk of our groceries delivered by FreshDirect, which tends to provide the freshest produce - maybe not so true anymore - as well as lowest prices, and rely on the other large stores for fresh greens, frozen items like ice cream and vegetables, and specialty items like cheese.
We live in Murray Hill, and are served by a Fairway, Trader Joe's, and Gristedes, all within a 2 block radius, as well as by a local grocer. The latter, seeing its impending demise from a new large local supermarket, converted half its floorspace into a restaurant and reduced its offerings.
Even though we are abundantly served, we have the bulk of our groceries delivered by FreshDirect, which tends to provide the freshest produce - maybe not so true anymore - as well as lowest prices, and rely on the other large stores for fresh greens, frozen items like ice cream and vegetables, and specialty items like cheese.
2
How wonderful for you!
6
Pardon my insensitivity...
1
Like any so called industry or specific market position, consolidation is happening everywhere. The only way, say a WaL Mart can grow is to run smaller grocer's out of business, same goes for Walgreens, or CVS. On a much larger undertaking, we have a DOJ approved Oligopoly of airlines. AT& T may get Time Warner, etc etc. The internet is trying to find it's way as a online grocer but that has presented several obstacles. Folks like to pick and choose vegetables and fruits, even choose their meats by sight and of course read labels for some.
2
We moved to Chelsea in 1995 when the only food options were tiny little stores with dusty cans of soup. Sure, the owner recognized us and was friendly, but what good is that when the selections were awful and the prices crazy? Now we have Whole Foods, Garden of Eden, Fairway and Trader Joe's, all within three blocks of our apartment and several big drug stores selling the basics too. What's to complain about?
5
I guess you missed where the article stated Garden of Eden filed bankruptcy over the summer.
I assume that this is partly a result of so many "ghost apartments", the more than 25% of Manhattan apartments that are empty-bought as investments by rich people living overseas. When fewer people actually live in a neighborhood (44% of the apartments in midtown are unoccupied most of the year) then neighborhood basics like supermarkets disappear.
This is another reason why middle class residents are important for a city.
This is another reason why middle class residents are important for a city.
24
The neighborhoods where these buildings are located tend not to have much in the way of grocery stores anyway. It is assumed that everyone eats out at expensive restaurants.
2
Gentrify and gentrify and this is what you get ...
16
Users users of Fresh Direct and other food delivery services have no concerns about the impact - more pollution and more traffic congestion - of more delivery trucks on NYC streets?
5
The store you are, incorrectly, eulogizing is still out there.
It's commonly referred to as 7-11.
DUH!
It's commonly referred to as 7-11.
DUH!
1
The prices are ridiculous and the selection is thin, to say the least.
2
Here in the socialistic hellscape of Germany, to where I moved with my family 11 years ago to start a now-thriving small business, not only do small neighborhood grocery markets thrive (as well as large supermarkets in malls), but there are non-chain bakeries & butchers as well, not to mention weekly outdoor markets in almost every neighborhood. Why? Government regulation! I wish I were back in the States with all those "freedoms" so I could enjoy the constantly shrinking range of choices that unfettered capitalism provides.
28
I lived in New York for several years after moving from California and Minnesota and with the exception of Whole Foods at Time Warner Center which I thanked god for, I found markets and grocery stores in Manhattan to be totally disgusting.
The Gristedes on 8th Ave was dirty, had expired and dirty food and the rudest workers I've ever encountered anywhere. Even coming from the Midwest and being pleasant, saying hello and thanks resulted in changed flung at me while interrupting the cashier's personal conversations. As soon as I discovered Whole Foods, I never returned to a local grocery and would have rented a car to drive to New Jersey first.
Oh and for those complaining about not have a market on the same block, it is the 21st century and you can order and online and you know, get groceries delivered to your home. Some places like Amazon even deliver within the hour. Time to move on people.
The Gristedes on 8th Ave was dirty, had expired and dirty food and the rudest workers I've ever encountered anywhere. Even coming from the Midwest and being pleasant, saying hello and thanks resulted in changed flung at me while interrupting the cashier's personal conversations. As soon as I discovered Whole Foods, I never returned to a local grocery and would have rented a car to drive to New Jersey first.
Oh and for those complaining about not have a market on the same block, it is the 21st century and you can order and online and you know, get groceries delivered to your home. Some places like Amazon even deliver within the hour. Time to move on people.
7
Grocery store closures are not limited to NYC. I have lived in Chappaqua since 1964 in what is considered the downtown area of the hamlet. When we moved in there was a Grand Union at the top of King Street. There was also a stationery store, cleaners, bank and something else I can't remember. Grand Union was there a long time and it took me a good minute to get from my house to the store so I shopped almost every day. Well, Grand Union went out of business and a D'Agostino's moved in with higher prices. It didn't last very long. I even talked to Mr. D'Agostino, who lives in Chappaqua but he wasn't talking. He decided to close the store. We (the residents of the town did what we could to get a Trader Joe's to move in but they weren't buying. A lot of us went to White Plains to shop at the Trader Joe's there. We also have a Mrs. Green's in Mt. Kisco, four miles north, and a Shop Rite in Thornwood, 5 miles away, and an A & P in Millwood, four miles away, which has since closed. Walgreens has moved into the Grand Union space. We already have a Rite Aid. Now a family owned grocer is moving into the A & P space in Millwood. But it's still not one minute from me. I still have to drive four or five miles to grocery shop. So you see, every kind of community has the grocery store problem but I can't figure out why. We didn't need a Walgreens. But Walgreens is like a parasite. It's everywhere.
11
Here in the little cities of N Y's capital district, I go to one of the smallest stores of our major chain Price Chopper (Watervliet) as one can briskly wheel around its perimeter for fruits/ veggies, deli, bakery, meat, dairy, pbj, bread; then checkout; and out the door. It's a 1.3 mile walk on flat land from home or a quick bus or car ride. Right sized and conveniently urban.
7
This is an interesting story, for a section that is simultaneously featuring a home over $767,000 in CT as a bargain!!! Everything looks like a bargain when compared to NYC, especially Manhattan, prices.
I can't even imagine why some major groceries would want to venture into the city - unless they had some rent protections - when they can remain in less expensive locations where their costs are covered. Groceries being a notoriously low margin retailer, it seems to me that unless it is one ( Whole Foods) which attracts high end consumers, it wouldn't be worth it in many sections - again,especially Manhattan - where every aspect of running the store increases costs dramatically. Imagine just the nightmare of scheduling deliveries . . .
Political and zoning policies increased the influx of billionaires and millionaires to the City and have pushed others out, proportionate to income. It's all of a piece.
I can't even imagine why some major groceries would want to venture into the city - unless they had some rent protections - when they can remain in less expensive locations where their costs are covered. Groceries being a notoriously low margin retailer, it seems to me that unless it is one ( Whole Foods) which attracts high end consumers, it wouldn't be worth it in many sections - again,especially Manhattan - where every aspect of running the store increases costs dramatically. Imagine just the nightmare of scheduling deliveries . . .
Political and zoning policies increased the influx of billionaires and millionaires to the City and have pushed others out, proportionate to income. It's all of a piece.
6
Gristedes and a "corner store" are 2 different things.
The corner store was owned by the family that worked there-- ours was Ralph's Deli, on First Avenue near 16th Street (knocked down when Beth Israel Hospital was built, it survived across the street for a number of years in a shinier but diminished way as rents went up, and now is gone).
The owner, Ralph, behind the counter, greeted us and saw us grow up. Years later, his son, behind the counter, would ask how my dad was doing. As we walked around our neighborhood, Ralph's was a keystone of what made Manhattan, which might have seemed big and impersonal to outsiders, really a collection of small communities.
Now big and impersonal developers, thinking in terms of price per square foot, have brought shopping mall attitudes and chain stores with changing shifts of underpaid workers, infrastructure without community.
The corner store was owned by the family that worked there-- ours was Ralph's Deli, on First Avenue near 16th Street (knocked down when Beth Israel Hospital was built, it survived across the street for a number of years in a shinier but diminished way as rents went up, and now is gone).
The owner, Ralph, behind the counter, greeted us and saw us grow up. Years later, his son, behind the counter, would ask how my dad was doing. As we walked around our neighborhood, Ralph's was a keystone of what made Manhattan, which might have seemed big and impersonal to outsiders, really a collection of small communities.
Now big and impersonal developers, thinking in terms of price per square foot, have brought shopping mall attitudes and chain stores with changing shifts of underpaid workers, infrastructure without community.
21
I don't live in NYC but I have experienced the same problem. When we bought our house 32 years ago, a big plus was that there was a small grocery store at the end of a long block, just across the street. I'm very big on convenience and this was convenient - I sometimes even road my bike up there - with panniers and a basket, I could carry three big brown paper grocery bags filled with food etc.
The market expanded and tried to be more "upscale" to get in younger customers. That meant taking on debt. When 2008 came, the market was in trouble, plus a Fresh Market had opened 2 miles up the road and a Whole Foods about 4 miles away. It started offering delivery-that was very popular with some of the older people in our neighborhood, or someone with a sick baby/child. But it still just couldn't make it, and in late July 2011, Doll's Market closed for good.
My daughter keeps asking me when I'm going to quite complaining about its closure and get over it; I tell her NEVER! I could get every thing I wanted and needed at the end of my block. I now go to 3-4 stores to get the same things. There is no one store that has everything I could previously get at Doll's.
I doubt that there will ever be another Doll's Market in my neighborhood as it appears that people are willing to drive 4 miles away to save 5 cents on am item. I greatly miss the convenience. Thank God for Paul's Market a mile away - it's small and mainly produce but it beats a trip to Kroger!
The market expanded and tried to be more "upscale" to get in younger customers. That meant taking on debt. When 2008 came, the market was in trouble, plus a Fresh Market had opened 2 miles up the road and a Whole Foods about 4 miles away. It started offering delivery-that was very popular with some of the older people in our neighborhood, or someone with a sick baby/child. But it still just couldn't make it, and in late July 2011, Doll's Market closed for good.
My daughter keeps asking me when I'm going to quite complaining about its closure and get over it; I tell her NEVER! I could get every thing I wanted and needed at the end of my block. I now go to 3-4 stores to get the same things. There is no one store that has everything I could previously get at Doll's.
I doubt that there will ever be another Doll's Market in my neighborhood as it appears that people are willing to drive 4 miles away to save 5 cents on am item. I greatly miss the convenience. Thank God for Paul's Market a mile away - it's small and mainly produce but it beats a trip to Kroger!
26
As a teenager once during dinner my mom mentioned that a new supermarket had just opened and she decided to drop the old place were she used to go. My dad, a real church aficionado, indicated that from a Christian perspective alone we should not abandon the original place. My mom said she fully agreed and told my dad that effective immediately all food he was enjoying would be cut by 35% based on cost difference. He instantly dropped his religious reasoning.
10
The readers' comments reflect what we are ALL talking about. We've lost three major supermarkets in my area within a few blocks of each other, with another struggling to hang on -- although a Trader Joe's has opened. I try to continue purchasing some items from the street carts as well as our small "delis" which all need our support. NOTE: this is part and parcel of the disappearance of many independent small businesses: hardware stores, clothing shops, diners...and on and on. This is truly becoming a city of moneyed "luxury condo" dwellers.
27
If here in NYC we are sentenced to never be able to have excellent supermarkets carrying exceptionally good food (not regularly found in the US) at decent prices, like those found in Europe (Carrefour, Hipercor, Lidl, to just name a few), why can't we have at least something excellent by US standards?
Publix, are you listening?
Publix, are you listening?
17
Actually, lots of other parts of the U.S. have amazing grocery stores with gourmet and delicious, fresh food. Minnesota has Byerlys which is one of the best supermarkets in the U.S. and Southern California has Bristol Farms. These are in addition to local Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Farmers Markets.
NYC has many amazing things, but grocery stores aren't one of them generally, at least compared to the rest of the U.S.
NYC has many amazing things, but grocery stores aren't one of them generally, at least compared to the rest of the U.S.
7
And healthcare at decent prices.
5
For some historical perspective, my polish grandfather raised his family with his corner grocery store in East new york - the family lived above the store (I remember that apartment - man it was tight, but clean and great cooking!), and my grandfather, a very gentle man who spoke little english, gave everyone in the neighborhood credit, as the depression wore on. And he never asked to be paid up.
Where are those kind of neighborhood groceries? i answered some tabloid question about who is a real Brooklynite with a story about my polish grandfather, and it seemed they were not looking for that answer. Those days are long ago, and totally forgotten. The building is still there, the park on the corner has a new name, and new fencing...The life is gone. And it was a nice one, for my mom and her brothers, in the polish catholic community of the ninteen-tens through the sixties..My grandfather played pinochle every night, my father joined in when he married my mom, although he was a Bronx German-catholic..All gone, all over.. For me, though, that is the life that new york was designed for.
Where are those kind of neighborhood groceries? i answered some tabloid question about who is a real Brooklynite with a story about my polish grandfather, and it seemed they were not looking for that answer. Those days are long ago, and totally forgotten. The building is still there, the park on the corner has a new name, and new fencing...The life is gone. And it was a nice one, for my mom and her brothers, in the polish catholic community of the ninteen-tens through the sixties..My grandfather played pinochle every night, my father joined in when he married my mom, although he was a Bronx German-catholic..All gone, all over.. For me, though, that is the life that new york was designed for.
35
Thanks for sharing your charming story. Makes me a little sad. That's a NY that I was born a little too late to experience, but I guess I did catch a bit of the tail end, while I was growing up--the UES version anyway. No, not Madison Ave, but Yorkville--3rd, 2nd ... There was an A&P where I went with my mom seemingly every day, and above it, a ballet studio where I took lessons. The A&P is now Agata & Valentina, but it's a welcomed neighborhood gem. Not a "corner grocer" by any means, but the fresh produce, cheeses, and meat are actually reasonable priced (for Manhattan)--cheaper than Gristedes and Fresh Direct. Now if only there were options for when I just need "normal" white rice (Carolina, long grain...not risotto!) or Heinz ketchup.
5
That is a beautiful story, h. Don't give up finding a publication to take your story -- losing our corner stores pains us; so does losing the history and detailed anecdotes of a different New York. Thank you for sharing!
6
Those were warm, touching stories that should be memorialized in a museum for a New York in the bygone era. Reality being what it is, that's not the kind of New York that would come back. It's highly doubtful that anyone (even small corner stores) these days can and will offer anyone grocer on credit. No one would have been able to survive on that. Sad, but true.
4
I'm splitting this into two comments since it exceeds the maximum length. Sorry for my length.
This is Part 2
So, while the data says that the total number of supermarkets may have even increased IN TOTAL, aggregating citywide masks the disparate impact in specific neighborhoods, and it doesn't capture changes in the type of store (affordable vs. artisanal/niche). If an affordable store closes and two high-priced ones open, that's an increase of 100%, but that doesn't mean anything to someone who can't afford the new ones. If a Key Food closes and a Union Market or Whole Foods opens, that's not the same. The article raises this and is right on the mark. It's apples and oranges... :-)
Online ordering and delivery is also more expensive, and I can assure you they’re not going into public housing buildings like Gowanus Houses, Red Hook Houses, Queensbridge Houses and Marcy Houses. And none of the delivery services accept SNAP (food stamps), so people who are on public benefits are out of luck. Same with seniors on fixed incomes.
As food options become limited or less affordable, organizations like City Harvest, food pantries, the Food Bank, God's Love We Deliver, Hunger Free New York, and many many social service agencies are dealing with the repercussions. Readers who don;t think they can do anything give that the closures are driven by market forces should consider supporting those organizations.
Thanks to the author for the nuanced article.
This is Part 2
So, while the data says that the total number of supermarkets may have even increased IN TOTAL, aggregating citywide masks the disparate impact in specific neighborhoods, and it doesn't capture changes in the type of store (affordable vs. artisanal/niche). If an affordable store closes and two high-priced ones open, that's an increase of 100%, but that doesn't mean anything to someone who can't afford the new ones. If a Key Food closes and a Union Market or Whole Foods opens, that's not the same. The article raises this and is right on the mark. It's apples and oranges... :-)
Online ordering and delivery is also more expensive, and I can assure you they’re not going into public housing buildings like Gowanus Houses, Red Hook Houses, Queensbridge Houses and Marcy Houses. And none of the delivery services accept SNAP (food stamps), so people who are on public benefits are out of luck. Same with seniors on fixed incomes.
As food options become limited or less affordable, organizations like City Harvest, food pantries, the Food Bank, God's Love We Deliver, Hunger Free New York, and many many social service agencies are dealing with the repercussions. Readers who don;t think they can do anything give that the closures are driven by market forces should consider supporting those organizations.
Thanks to the author for the nuanced article.
14
I'm splitting this into two comments since it exceeds the maximum length. Sorry for my length.
This is Part 1
Thank you Ronda for highlighting an important issue. Readers outside of NYC or those in relatively affluent neighborhoods may not realize that supermarket closures can be devastating in low-income communities. This trend is also affecting low-income working residents that are in gentrifying neighborhoods where residential and commercial rents are skyrocketing. Look at Harlem, East Harlem, Bedford Stuyvesant, Long Island City, the South Bronx and elsewhere. And those are neighborhoods where the rates of food insecurity and diet-related diseases such as diabetes are disproportionately high.
For example the City's health data revealed that while the diabetes rate is 3% on the relatively affluent Upper East Side in Manhattan, the diabetes rate is 18% in East New York, a mostly low-income neighborhood far out in Brooklyn. Six times higher. Supermarkets provide access to fresh produce, among other options. It’s an affordability and disparities issue with grave consequences.
Gentrifying neighborhoods, regardless of changing demographics, still have many low-income residents, especially in NYC Housing Authority builings. Unemployment (and underemployment) is also high there. Food takes up a large part of a household budget (2nd after housing), so when affordable markets close, food becomes a larger piece of the pie and budgets are further constrained.
This is Part 1
Thank you Ronda for highlighting an important issue. Readers outside of NYC or those in relatively affluent neighborhoods may not realize that supermarket closures can be devastating in low-income communities. This trend is also affecting low-income working residents that are in gentrifying neighborhoods where residential and commercial rents are skyrocketing. Look at Harlem, East Harlem, Bedford Stuyvesant, Long Island City, the South Bronx and elsewhere. And those are neighborhoods where the rates of food insecurity and diet-related diseases such as diabetes are disproportionately high.
For example the City's health data revealed that while the diabetes rate is 3% on the relatively affluent Upper East Side in Manhattan, the diabetes rate is 18% in East New York, a mostly low-income neighborhood far out in Brooklyn. Six times higher. Supermarkets provide access to fresh produce, among other options. It’s an affordability and disparities issue with grave consequences.
Gentrifying neighborhoods, regardless of changing demographics, still have many low-income residents, especially in NYC Housing Authority builings. Unemployment (and underemployment) is also high there. Food takes up a large part of a household budget (2nd after housing), so when affordable markets close, food becomes a larger piece of the pie and budgets are further constrained.
16
Odd this article ends with mentioning the South Slope, Brooklyn White Eagle. I shopped there beginning 1983 until about 2004 and only for certain unique products (with a high turnover) they specialized in, as I lived nearby. They also specialized in outdated meat and fish, old, wilted, overpriced produce and nasty, nasty owners who bullied their staff openly and harassed minority shoppers by following them around the store looking to see if they shoplifted. Many comments were published on the internet however I see the NYT didn't research this. I was glad to see these unneighborly people leave.
7
I have decided, through observation and experience, that the world, from my small town of 6500 to NYC, London, et al. belongs to the the Real Estate Industry (developers, contractors, etc.) and that we are allowed to live in their world only for as long as we can afford to.
23
I wonder if what's really happening is that more and more people in NYC are now getting their food online.
5
Chicken or egg? I think people are shopping inline because they have to because there is no other choice.
2
This article is making me feel bad because I live in the nexus of 3 Gristedes within 2 blocks of me, one of which is pictured. I shop at all three. It is what I would call a regular grocery store. Whole Foods is not affordable, has a huge line most times, you have to battle for food, sometimes waiting long times in line for counter service, so you have to schedule it. Gristedes is in and out, the staff is friendly, and it usually has very short lines. Gristedes has some bargain brands, inexpensive meat sections, not all of it is high prices. And it is big enough to have everything you are looking for. (The high prices more in the vegetable/fruit section and some dried goods.)
12
From what I read I live in the same neighborhood as Mr. Binko. I respectfully disagree with his assessment that Whole Foods "is not affordable." I do not wish to be a cheerleader for WF but I find it to be far less expensive than Gristedes. WF brand (365) is markedly less than the items at Gristedes, and even name brand items can be much more than what I pay at WF. Certainly WF carries "bobo" items like over-priced olive oil, but I find a great deal of fresh and healthy food at the store. The "myth" of "whole paycheck" is not entirely true. The Times should conduct a comparative pricing study, particularly as WF and Wegmans extend their reach in the city.
4
I stand by my comment, Gristides has the Shop Rite brand bargain products and they are cheaper than the 365 brand and they have more bargain products than Whole Foods has 365 brand products. Try soda and cereal, much less expensive, cheese, tomato sauce, eggs, ice cream, chicken, beef, soup much less expensive. Fresh vegetables are of better quality at WF, I admit that, but as in the photos, there is usually a corner fruit/veg stand just outside Gristedes with very inexpensive choices. You can be on the WF check out for 15 minutes easy every single time, Gristides literally 1 minute max most times.
2
How could Whole Foods have such huge lines if it's not affordable? I suppose it's so crowded that nobody goes there any more...
1
It's not just the smaller grocery stores (which I cannot defend against most of the charges made against them by many commenters) but it's that so many interesting and human-scaled places and things in New York are threatened by a greatly increased population, gentrification and the much higher prices and pressures to conform that they will bring.
Let's face it: For anybody over 40, the New York City we knew, know and loved is already gone to a larger extent, and it's clear that much more of it will disappear.
I have already declared myself in permanent mourning for my New York.
I suspect many New York Times readers are with me. They may not have realized it yet, but if they aren't already, they will be.
I can only feel sorry for the young ones who will only know towers and worries about paying bills and rent -- if they ever make it to New York. Because of course, many who would have come in prior years won't in the future, they know the door is closed.
Let's face it: For anybody over 40, the New York City we knew, know and loved is already gone to a larger extent, and it's clear that much more of it will disappear.
I have already declared myself in permanent mourning for my New York.
I suspect many New York Times readers are with me. They may not have realized it yet, but if they aren't already, they will be.
I can only feel sorry for the young ones who will only know towers and worries about paying bills and rent -- if they ever make it to New York. Because of course, many who would have come in prior years won't in the future, they know the door is closed.
46
Do you remember when Sunday was largely a day of rest in NY? Most stores were closed, so the families who ran them could take a break. Sure, it was a bit inconvenient to have to wait until Monday to go to the hardware store or the locksmith, but it also meant we spent the day doing something other than chores.
15
My minimal qualification of a "neighborhood" is an area that has at least one shoe repair shop. Invariably, these are holes-in-the-wall, which would be paying the lowest possible rent. When even they cannot survive, then you're not in a neighborhood that caters to the needs of ordinary families, you're in a "development", which like it or not, is just code for "a project for rich people".
4
The talk may be of supermarkets, and perhaps rightfully so, but to many the keystone of any neighborhood is the butcher. They are of course pricier, but when one looks at the packaged offerings in the meat cases, well ...Weight is wrong, sequential cuts from the same prime cut are not together, and on and on. I live on Long Island which has that problem too, and there are precious few markets which have butchers available and willing to cut to order.
I do go the the butcher for special occasions and there are items I just can not get outside of that store.
I do go the the butcher for special occasions and there are items I just can not get outside of that store.
7
It was a sad day in my neighbourhood when the butcher closed up shop. He'd share space with an Italian deli, a fishmonger, and a succession of small businesses in the fourth corner of the building. He was one of the last butchers in town allowed to dry hang his own meat, make his own sausages, and display his products the old fashioned way, without all that individual wrapping. He'd been grandfathered through when the new regulations came in - or rather, the location had been grandfathered, so when the deli people retired and the landlord demanded the butcher make up the deli part of the rent, which he couldn't afford, he couldn't just move across the street and carry on as before. While my neighbourhood is especially good for small independent shops of all kinds (thanks in part to zoning that requires residential buildings over a certain size on commercial corridors have retail space on the street level) the loss of our only butcher is still keenly felt, two years later (and the space he vacated remains empty). I now have to take a bus to another butcher of similar quality, but it's not the same as wandering past the butcher on my high street and having him or his wife or their apprentice chase after me to say they'd set aside some aged lamb leg steaks or fresh chicken-apple sausages for me.
4
I grew up half a block from a corner grocery store. Sixty years ago, and even today, it is thriving and neat as a pin. Although the big shopping was done at Bohacks, four blocks away, the corner grocery store was the place for milk and last-minute purchases. Nice place.
On the other hand, the corner "grocery store" a block from where I live now is a place no one goes into -- no one, that it, who seems actually to have a job. Neighbors don't walk past it -- too many bleary-eyed deadbeats hanging out, smoking, and tossing their garbage into the street. Cops are stationed there more days than not because two drug-related rub-outs happened in the space of about half a year last year.
I don't know anyone who doesn't want to see it shut down. Obviously it's a front. The garbage stored along the side of the building, 24-7, has got to attract vermin. Why not get a real store there? Whi's the landlord? What's his deal?
Of course, Jumaane Williams has introduced a bill making it harder to shut such places down. Go figure.
On the other hand, the corner "grocery store" a block from where I live now is a place no one goes into -- no one, that it, who seems actually to have a job. Neighbors don't walk past it -- too many bleary-eyed deadbeats hanging out, smoking, and tossing their garbage into the street. Cops are stationed there more days than not because two drug-related rub-outs happened in the space of about half a year last year.
I don't know anyone who doesn't want to see it shut down. Obviously it's a front. The garbage stored along the side of the building, 24-7, has got to attract vermin. Why not get a real store there? Whi's the landlord? What's his deal?
Of course, Jumaane Williams has introduced a bill making it harder to shut such places down. Go figure.
5
Please! Aside from the fact that I worked for the Census in 2000 and 2010, since WWII New York has been billed as a city of 8 million. It's not.
Does anyone believe with all the tenements replaced by residential high rises and more and more built for residences it is still 8 million?
No one knows because the Census in NY is impossible to take and it's all an educated and lazy guess.
Like I said, I did it and was supervisor and know it's just a guess so the higher ups decided 8 million sounds nice.
Does anyone believe with all the tenements replaced by residential high rises and more and more built for residences it is still 8 million?
No one knows because the Census in NY is impossible to take and it's all an educated and lazy guess.
Like I said, I did it and was supervisor and know it's just a guess so the higher ups decided 8 million sounds nice.
3
An interesting point. I didn't do Census in NYC, but elsewhere, enough to learn that there is extreme "resistance" at the Census to recording the disappearance of residences or even changes in the mailing address assigned to a given location, both fairly likely in a 10 year stretch of time, without a lot of proof. Understandable; it does prevent slipshod coverage.
But in NYC putting together the proof that a particular building was demolished and replaced by something quite different (and often a residence where a high percentage of owners are not even IN residence for most of the year) takes footwork, research and documentation. You could assign a special division just to do that!
But in NYC putting together the proof that a particular building was demolished and replaced by something quite different (and often a residence where a high percentage of owners are not even IN residence for most of the year) takes footwork, research and documentation. You could assign a special division just to do that!
2
In the 1950's, when I was growing up in the Bronx, there were four grocery stores on the corner of Elder and Watson Ave. Most people, unless they were feuding with the grocer, used the grocery on their corner of the corner.
Our grocer kept a running tab on us, and my mother, who liked her cheese fresh, would send me down for '1/2 of a 1/4', or two ounces of cheese.
If we wanted a soda, we would scour the empty lots for empties, and six empty bottles would get us a twelve ounce bottle of Pepsi. No kid, unless they were super sophisticated, drank Coke, as it was only six ounces!
One time a few of us kids actually stopped a robbery in progress in our store, by just walking in and standing around. The robber cursed us and left.
As I'm writing this, I just remembered the name of our store, it was Bettingers. The Bettingers were an older couple, with a son in college, probably CCNY
In 1964 when we left the Bronx for Queens, the groceries were slowly turning into Bodegas, but that's NYC!
Note, within one block, we had a cleaners, a drug store, two deli's, a bakery, and one candy store/lunchette
Our grocer kept a running tab on us, and my mother, who liked her cheese fresh, would send me down for '1/2 of a 1/4', or two ounces of cheese.
If we wanted a soda, we would scour the empty lots for empties, and six empty bottles would get us a twelve ounce bottle of Pepsi. No kid, unless they were super sophisticated, drank Coke, as it was only six ounces!
One time a few of us kids actually stopped a robbery in progress in our store, by just walking in and standing around. The robber cursed us and left.
As I'm writing this, I just remembered the name of our store, it was Bettingers. The Bettingers were an older couple, with a son in college, probably CCNY
In 1964 when we left the Bronx for Queens, the groceries were slowly turning into Bodegas, but that's NYC!
Note, within one block, we had a cleaners, a drug store, two deli's, a bakery, and one candy store/lunchette
17
At least there is some justice in the world. Winners of the rental lottery aka rent control/stabilized tenants will live in apartments paying less rent than a monthly parking spot but will starve because they will not be able to buy food. Meanwhile their more prosperous neighbors will be having their Grey Poupon shipped by Amazon.
5
Little kids starving is your idea of justice, John? Your parents must be so proud.
4
How exactly is that justice? I think you meant ironic.
2
Fortunately, for us mustard aficionados, Amazon has so many better mustards than Grey Poupon.
2
you can like your virtual grocer on facebook.
Surprised there was no mention of Westside in this article. Thankfully I live by the Westside on 97th and Broadway. They don't really have sales, but I find the produce to better than Grosstedes or the Food Emporium (when it was open), and the prices for that can be okay. I like that they also have free delivery for orders over $25. I really hope it doesn't close. Not everyone can afford Fresh Direct and I refuse to go to Grosstedes.
4
Westside's prices are generally as high or higher than Whole Foods', but in return you get 24/7 convenience, stores in good condition, and produce, etc. of solid quality. If the other midsize chains were like them, they'd be much less loathed.
5
The real issue is that, as in many other areas, the food distribution industry here in the US is way behind other industries and will - hopefully to the benefit of the consumer - finally succumb to foreign competitors, as it happened with the automotive industry. Food prices as well as other household consumables (detergents, etc.) soared outrageously in the last decade. If you go to any supermarket in central Paris, Amsterdam or Munich, prices will be for many products on average 50% below New York outer borough prices (don't even talk about Manhattan - but you can see, rent is not really the issue here). You will also find there a highly sophisticated distribution system, where a few employees manage an entire store with better quality products. None of that here in the US. And why - because there is in essence, as in many industries, no real competition anymore. Instead of bemoaning the demise of 18th century style grocers, the NYT should rather research the real deficits of the food market business here which presents an enormous economic problem for most of the population here (sorry, but small grocery stores all but disappeared already in the 1970'ies in most parts of Europe, and you are also not using the horse trolley bus when commuting to the office).
4
At a time now when shopping for anything can be done online and delivered quickly, the neighborhood grocers have a chance to fill a niche based less on voluminous choice and more on personal service and convenience. This is their time to shine --some of them do it very well and make small shopping trips a special pleasure.
5
Where would we be without Gristedes, Associated, Pathmark? Better off, that's where.
Of all places to pick as the poster child, they pick Gristedes on 26th and 8th? I've lived by there for 15 years and I only go there in absolute emergencies. (That said, I'll take Gristedes over Trader Joe's weirdos.)
D'Agostino, C-Town, Food Emporium? No thanks. Even Fairway has terrible produce, halfway rotten before they even put it their shelves. New York needs more - and much better - grocery stores. I'm looking forward to Wegman's and hope they put Castimatidis and many others out of business. New Yorkers don't understand how bad they've got it with the supermarkets around here.
Of all places to pick as the poster child, they pick Gristedes on 26th and 8th? I've lived by there for 15 years and I only go there in absolute emergencies. (That said, I'll take Gristedes over Trader Joe's weirdos.)
D'Agostino, C-Town, Food Emporium? No thanks. Even Fairway has terrible produce, halfway rotten before they even put it their shelves. New York needs more - and much better - grocery stores. I'm looking forward to Wegman's and hope they put Castimatidis and many others out of business. New Yorkers don't understand how bad they've got it with the supermarkets around here.
14
Catsimatedes won't really care - his money comes from oil it groceries.
Rest easy -- the capital markets will solve this problem in time. No food available, nobody will rent the residences, rent will come down, people and food will return. Or, only people who can afford to eat takeout every meal will live here.
Either way, it's a natural process. Please let it happen without government intervention.
Either way, it's a natural process. Please let it happen without government intervention.
1
Sad story- the ever changing city. I was on the Jitney Bus going downtown along 3rd Avenue last week when I noticed only two grocery stores- both of them had benches outside that were full of people eating and hanging out and grocery shopping - was nice to see it.
NYC is so resilient. I marveled at the crowds, the apartment buildings and the hustle and bustle that can make live interesting even if you have to walk ten blocks for milk. The city and the city dwellers will cope!!! NYC gotta love the Big Apple. Sometimes I am sorry I an now a country mouse living in the so called country on the end of Long Island.
NYC is so resilient. I marveled at the crowds, the apartment buildings and the hustle and bustle that can make live interesting even if you have to walk ten blocks for milk. The city and the city dwellers will cope!!! NYC gotta love the Big Apple. Sometimes I am sorry I an now a country mouse living in the so called country on the end of Long Island.
3
Gristedes? In Chinatown yesterday (I had lunch there), I stopped at the Hong Kong Market, where I bought produce. Red Onion were 99 cents a pound; in my local Gristedes it's 2.99! I guess when I go there to have lunch with friends, I'll have to bring a shopping cart.
This article is the most ridiculous one I read. I live off Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village where the only supermarket left is the detested, overpriced Gristedes. I have to schlep to Chelsea's Western Beef, where I rarely go because I have to take TWO! buses, The Associated on W. 14th, to where I could walk, closed (I'm 72).
Hooray for unfettered capitalism; it's good for you!
This article is the most ridiculous one I read. I live off Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village where the only supermarket left is the detested, overpriced Gristedes. I have to schlep to Chelsea's Western Beef, where I rarely go because I have to take TWO! buses, The Associated on W. 14th, to where I could walk, closed (I'm 72).
Hooray for unfettered capitalism; it's good for you!
8
Sounds like getting your food online from Amazon.com would be a good idea.
3
I admire seniors who remain in NYC. Navigating icy sidewalks and subway steps in winter and dealing with relentless heat and humidity in the summer (it can be cooler in Florida!) are not for the faint of heart. Some pensions are tax-free in New York but that benefit does not outweigh the difficulties of living in the city.
6
Welcome to what the rest of the country has faced for the last 30 years.
3
The small corner grocery, usually poorly stocked, dark and un-air-conditioned has been disappearing all over NYC for more than 50 years. I live near a huge bright. clean, well-stocked 76,000 sq ft Stop-n-Shop on Hylan Blvd. Right now they are upgrading the interior, installing new freezers, etc. In about two years I'll have another huge supermarket (probably Shop-Rite) a block away in a re-designed shopping center also on Hylan Blvd. The Stop-N-Shop pays about $100k/month rent, that's standard for a good location in the outer boroughs. Neighbor's daughter moved to Hell's Kitchen this year. Occasionally she rents a car, drives to S.I. to see mom and dad, stocks up at stop-n-shop and races back to Manhattan.
6
In my uninformed way, I would think that giant towers of residential units would increase the opportunity for food stores. Surely all the new inhabitants need to eat?
What are the dynamics that are working against this calculation? High rents? Surely there must be a way to tilt the table the other way, given this enormous potential market.
What are the dynamics that are working against this calculation? High rents? Surely there must be a way to tilt the table the other way, given this enormous potential market.
4
"a local grocer might even run a tab, something a national chain would never do" is simply not true. The national chains do it by accepting credit cards, which is running a "tab" free for thirty days.
6
it's not the same thing, at all. The store is not out the money for 30 days! Your credit card company pays them....you owe the cc company, and the interest on that time delay is owed by you to the cc company.
3
Diane, below, is right it's not the same thing. Also, some of the poorer neighborhoods that the local grocer or corner store used to serve are unbanked (http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/business/economy/initiatives-aim-to... and don't have access to credit cards. Tabs were/are a lifeline.
1
I live in Chelsea and associates supermarket was closed due to the landlord raising the rent 500% more and the store is still there 5 month late still haven't rented.
13
In many cases, the disappearance of these old supermarkets marks progress. When I used to walk into my neighborhood Gristedes (right on my block), I was immediately struck by an odor of mold. The food was overpriced, and the meat and produce are of poor quality. The store was dirty and dilapidated.
Since the advent of Fresh Direct, and the expansion of Fairway, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's, I only had occasion to go there when nothing else was open. I would sooner plan a trip to Stew Leonard's in Yonkers than I would shop for a week's worth of groceries at Gristedes.
Since the advent of Fresh Direct, and the expansion of Fairway, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's, I only had occasion to go there when nothing else was open. I would sooner plan a trip to Stew Leonard's in Yonkers than I would shop for a week's worth of groceries at Gristedes.
16
Let's be honest--Gristedes is/was horrible--gourmet prices without the gourmet food as it were. ?The Pioneer ?The Associated---dirty stores, scary produce--and no way would I buy meat there. That being said, these small neighborhood stores ARE needed--not everyone can afford the alternatives like Whole Foods (should they have access to one), carry their food longer distances or navigate the world of online delivery. And no, Duane Reade, in spite of over-saturating the city, is NOT an alternative. I don't have the solution, but there has to be some middle ground where a smaller local store can offer decent products at a reasonable price for the good of the city as a whole.
11
When did the smaller grocers get so bad? When I was growing up in NYC, we shopped at the A&P, Daitch Shopwell and Dan's Supermarket, and they were all clean, well-lit and carried good food. Those stores are long gone and I guess the remaining stores have to cut corners to survive.
5
In the Bronx, we have Little Italy along Arthur Avenue. There are many shops, including butchers, bakers and fresh mozzarella makers. The Bronx is affordable and authentic New York!
13
Yes, the five blocks surrounding Italian Arthur Avenue in the Bronx are charming. But go one more block in any direction and the residents are struggling. THEY are NOT buying fresh mozzarella and artisan gelato: they want a supermarket with goods they know at prices they can pay.
4
As a kid of the Depression I remember something like 9 groceries in our neighborhood. That's a mile or so either direction, single-family housing. Then, in 1935, St. Louis' first supermarket opened; the mom-and-pop a block away lasted exactly one month, and the rest of 'em were all gone by the fifties.
I'm not talking supermarkets with those nine - they were operations that would call in the morning (for those who had telephones) and bring your order in the afternoon.
The world moves on. Ain't just food, with its myriad forms; the economy is dynamic, living, growing, changing. What used to take a lot of people has been engineered to a fare-thee-well - and the farewell has been applied to a large part of the labor involved. And here's today's major concern for the economist and, especially the politician: how are we to deal with or share labor-saving stuff that is also labor-eliminating?
And so with the little one-person shop that dazzled a little boy in the thirties, became a dismal disappointment to a visitor in the sixties and long-gone very soon after; the bakery with its six-cent, one pound loaf of truly good bread, and the various operations thereafter, all so nostalgic in recollection. But - like legislation (!) none of it happens except to meet - or best serve - changing circumstance.
I'm not talking supermarkets with those nine - they were operations that would call in the morning (for those who had telephones) and bring your order in the afternoon.
The world moves on. Ain't just food, with its myriad forms; the economy is dynamic, living, growing, changing. What used to take a lot of people has been engineered to a fare-thee-well - and the farewell has been applied to a large part of the labor involved. And here's today's major concern for the economist and, especially the politician: how are we to deal with or share labor-saving stuff that is also labor-eliminating?
And so with the little one-person shop that dazzled a little boy in the thirties, became a dismal disappointment to a visitor in the sixties and long-gone very soon after; the bakery with its six-cent, one pound loaf of truly good bread, and the various operations thereafter, all so nostalgic in recollection. But - like legislation (!) none of it happens except to meet - or best serve - changing circumstance.
4
What is / will be the effect of Amazon food delivery on higher priced, less selection small supermarkets?
1
I live on the Upper East Side and I dreaded going to the supermarkets in my neighborhood. Crowded, dark, expensive and dirty were my thoughts every time I had to buy food. When my children were little I certainly did not want to have to take them with me. Enter Freshdirect which has been my life line for food for many years. I love it so much. People say it is more expensive than the local market, but I have not found that to be the case. There are no impulse buys and they have many specials weekly. The quality of the veggies, fruit and meet are very good and everything arrives neat and clean at your convenience. They have great options for holiday meals also and I will be ordering my a Turkey from them. Most importantly their Customer service is excellent. If anything is amiss a quick email or phone will take care of it and they give you a credit. All that horrible time I spent at the market is gone. There are much better things to be doing than grocery shopping.
9
I live in a neighborhood where two large supermarket chains have gone out of business. The faults I noticed in these stores always have been circumvented by the Trader Joe's stores I regularly visit, which exemplify the means by which a food store of any size can survive and thrive. No, I'm not a stockholder. It's just that the difference between it and many of the larger food stores and how they operate is so stark and obvious I thought it should be mentioned. The service at TJ's is prompt, informative and extremely polite. The workers and salespeople there don't point abstractedly into the distance when asked where an item is located; they always take you there personally. In my experience, the service in many supermarkets is not rude but is often indifferent. The helpers in many cases don't know where an item is located. Trader Joe's also provides small snacks which are always welcome, another item that most stores avoid, making the customer think "yes, they're making money on me but at least appreciate it".
17
Trader Joe's is privately held by a German family, so you can't be a stockholder.
I'm generally in favor of local stores. And being originally from outside NYC I miss the opportunity to buy ordinary staples cheaply. But the mid-size grocery stores like Gristedes and D'Ag are generally disgusting, have limited offerings, AND cost as much or more for key items as Whole Foods. (Food Emporium was somewhat better, but they went bankrupt a year or two ago.) There's a Gristedes less than two blocks from my apartment and every time I try going in it I end up appalled by the prices, the poor quality of the non-packaged items, and the cleanliness. If I'm going to spend that much money anyway, I might as well go to Whole Foods for the good stuff or to the corner drugstore for the greater convenience and less gross atmosphere. For many, many years these groceries exploited their captive audiences by offering awful value for money. Now competition has really exposed them, and they have not adapted.
26
Co-ops. You folks really need to investigate co-ops. Start one. Join one. And then open your pocketbooks and pay the price for a local store that stocks what you want and pays living wages to a minimal staff. And don't forget to put in a few hours a month (or week) yourself, which is how the food becomes affordable.
Food - real food, organic food, grown-in-America, preferably local food - is not cheap. And it should not be, because there are families trying to make ends meet, just like you, doing all that farming.
But a co-op will meet your needs quite well.
Food - real food, organic food, grown-in-America, preferably local food - is not cheap. And it should not be, because there are families trying to make ends meet, just like you, doing all that farming.
But a co-op will meet your needs quite well.
5
How can you possible start a food co-op in a city where each square foot of floor space rents for $1000/year?
All the real hippies gave up and moved to Ohio decades ago....
All the real hippies gave up and moved to Ohio decades ago....
1
When the only supermarket in my area, Windsor Terrace, closed, it was immediately to be replaced by a supermarket-sized Walgreens. For many in the community the change meant a 10 block walk to other smaller shops. The community organized protests and meetings with representatives of the area and with both Walgreens and Key Food executives. A compromise was reached whereby Key Food kept a sliver of land in the original location. It took 3 years before it was built. The new managers have been very receptive to suggestions. There is a large area of made-on-the-premises foods as well as a selection of organic fruits and vegetables. And the place is neither dirty nor dark. As for the Walgreens that took over the other 2/3 of the property? There's hardly any customers in that big space and many Key Food shoppers have suggested that the supermarket reclaim its original space and size.
5
That's the place that used to be Bohacks. Old enough to remember King Korn Stamps and pasting them into little orange books.
5
I told Sam, the manager at our Key Food about the letter I wrote and he asked to be mentioned. So thanks Sam for all that you've done to keep this community going.
3
Look at the financial district, though. No grocery stores and the area hasn't really taken off other than for kids just out of college who buy their groceries at the 24 hour Duane Reade at 40 Wall street. You need a store if you want families and adults to settle there.
5
The Financial District is getting a 44,000 sq. ft. Whole Foods on Broadway at One Wall Street.
3
There is a Key Food on Fulton Street, east of William Street. Well-sized for Manhattan, regular supermarket and organic products.
Also a smaller market, Jubilee, on John Street.
Also a smaller market, Jubilee, on John Street.
2
Direct Deliver options, aside, Gristedes and Food Emporium are failing because of their quality. Eataly, Whole Foods and independent butchers and greengrocers prosper, as do small grocery stores and the vendors---damn gentrification if you must, but many families don't want to consume the sodium laden/non-organic food they still offer. I think the fading bigger chains need to look at their product before they go the way of Korvettesl We can all buy packaged paper products elsewhere as well.
2
Whole Foods is exorbitant. Most middle income and low income people can't depend on Whole Foods for their groceries without going bankrupt.
1
Places like pathmark and a&p served the regular man, places like Union market or whole foods do not, even food has gotten elitist in this narcissistic city. I laugh when I hear reports that these supposed " green" consumers will pay extra for a supposed "organic" box of blueberries that corporations spent jet fuel on to bring it to them out of season. It's all frankly preposterous. The snobbery in this city could power the lights of the country forever if it could be harnessed.
16
I live around the block from 33 Lincoln Rd, mentioned in your article. I don't understand why we need Fresh Fanatic. Less than a block away there is a bodega/grocery store in one direction. Half a block in the other there is a small supermarket, across the street a bodega and a green grocery, both of which have renovated and upgraded so they can compete. Two blocks away is another greengrocer, about 5 blocks an Associated, and about 3 blocks a Western Beef.
I know there was some kind of deal which made Fresh Fanatic and attractive deal for the developer, but it seems crazy.
I know there was some kind of deal which made Fresh Fanatic and attractive deal for the developer, but it seems crazy.
3
But don't think that a large modern market will be good for the entire area?
What is Fresh Fanatic? Everyone reading the NYTimes doesn't live in New York (anymore, alas.)
1
It will be a cold day in hell when I eat a pre-packaged sandwich from Duane Reade or Walgreen's. I walk in those places and can't imagine why anyone would even try the pre-packaged items. If you want to talk about sad old stores, to me the food-ification of drugstores is just the modern version of a sad old store. How do I know where the food was prepared, or how, or when, or how clean the facilities might (or might not) be?
When I'm hungry and in a rush, I'm going to choose a sandwich or salad from Pret a Manger or similar - it will be vastly preferable to a drugstore pre-packaged anything.
When I'm hungry and in a rush, I'm going to choose a sandwich or salad from Pret a Manger or similar - it will be vastly preferable to a drugstore pre-packaged anything.
14
Please don't nostalgize these awful stores.
5
I don't understand why some neighborhoods can't seem to support a local grocery store, and other neighborhoods have many grocery stores.
I live on Kings Highway in Brooklyn. Within 10 blocks of my apartment along Kings Highway,there are about 7 grocery stores. One is a large (kosher) supermarket, another one is a smaller kosher supermarket. One is a Syrian kosher store,another an Israeli kosher grocer. Then there are a few more that focus mostly on meat. There's a large fruit stand/corner store, which also has flowers, vegetables, dry goods,bread, canned goods, and frozen foods (including some frozen meat and frozen TV dinners, pizzas,etc.), another smaller fruit store, and an organic store that has some groceries. Of course there are also bakeries and a bodega and a 7-11, which also have some food. This is all within 10 blocks. So what is it about my neighborhood that allows these stores to survive/be profitable, but other neighborhoods can't support even one grocery store? I am genuinely not understanding this.
I live on Kings Highway in Brooklyn. Within 10 blocks of my apartment along Kings Highway,there are about 7 grocery stores. One is a large (kosher) supermarket, another one is a smaller kosher supermarket. One is a Syrian kosher store,another an Israeli kosher grocer. Then there are a few more that focus mostly on meat. There's a large fruit stand/corner store, which also has flowers, vegetables, dry goods,bread, canned goods, and frozen foods (including some frozen meat and frozen TV dinners, pizzas,etc.), another smaller fruit store, and an organic store that has some groceries. Of course there are also bakeries and a bodega and a 7-11, which also have some food. This is all within 10 blocks. So what is it about my neighborhood that allows these stores to survive/be profitable, but other neighborhoods can't support even one grocery store? I am genuinely not understanding this.
6
And why do I have 24-hour delis every two blocks with men hanging out day and night in front so that no one really feels comfortable entering.
What are they really selling since no neighborhood people shop there? And who buys milk at 3AM?
I know Kings Highway. Great shopping.
What are they really selling since no neighborhood people shop there? And who buys milk at 3AM?
I know Kings Highway. Great shopping.
3
I just noticed that the supermarket on Mulberry and Prince St. is up for rent, and if the NYU towers proceed, the Morton Williams will be gone as well. I like shopping for food at the butcher, baker and greenmarket, but where to buy soap, paper towels and cereal ? Are we condemned to getting everything at CVS and via delivery ? Are the elderly folks supposed to walk 15 blocks to the nearest store ? All that I see are restaurants,nail salons and cupcake stores, which don't make a community...
16
Six months ago, my wife and I started a small food delivery service specializing in Korean banchan. During that time, we saw our sales volume grow 560% and our revenue a similar order of magnitude. After reading this article, I now understand one of the reasons for our success.
Indeed many of our repeat customers live in high rise condos in Manhattan and LIC. Having been to these places as the delivery guy (one of my many roles as an unpaid help), you see a lot of overpriced condo development but no decent places to shop for food anywhere nearby.
It also helps that our food is good and we get a lot of praise from our customers.
Indeed many of our repeat customers live in high rise condos in Manhattan and LIC. Having been to these places as the delivery guy (one of my many roles as an unpaid help), you see a lot of overpriced condo development but no decent places to shop for food anywhere nearby.
It also helps that our food is good and we get a lot of praise from our customers.
10
So-called supermarkets in Manhattan have always been mediocre at best, as many have pointed out. This is partly due to the limited space and logistics of running a large, high-volume food operation, and this has been pointed out in past years by NYT: more expensive space, more frequent deliveries needed due to less storage and floor space. Those costs are passed on to the consumer. Yet community groups and the politicians they support have conspired against large food operations. Wal Mart and Target both have moderately-priced food operations, but they fight to locate in Manhattan. (There are no Wal Marts and one remotely-located Target. And why is there no Trader Joe's on the Upper East Side yet - I hear one is coming soon) I'm not saying they're great places, but small grocery store owners have lobbied against these businesses, and ironically the real estate market is burying these small guys anyway as rents rise. NYT does not mention chains like Best Market, and Food Bazaar - relatively new local chains that would probably open in Manhattan, space permitting.
4
Fresh Direct is always an option. I always hated shopping in the small local store. I love Fresh Direct.
5
As mentioned, the small corner grocery stores usually have old and limited supplies. The long lines at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are really not convenient. But ... if you can plan ahead and are willing to shlep a little bit on a bus, or even take a taxi (waiting right outside the mall), you can get great deals at the East River Mall. ALDI, the actual owner of Trader Joe's, has a good selection for many items and great prices. Not to mention Target and Costco. If you don't need/can't store 50 rolls of toilet paper at once, you have other options in the same mall. In short, don't be lazy, plan ahead and take advantage of the major grocery chains that offer quality and good prices.
4
As one who lives in a "shopping nirvana" (five grocery stores within two miles), I have never ceased to wonder at the very expensive groceries that are available in the neighborhood stores near the relatives we regularly visit. As such, they have come to depend on Fresh Direct for several reasons. First, it is very convenient. With a busy schedule and two young children, they can schedule the deliveries for after the kids are in bed. They can build their shopping list as need arises, each adding things to the list. Cost is better than the local markets. And the produce is very good, with a guarantee that, if it is not, it will be replaced. They still use the local markets (or at least, we do when visiting) but the bulk of food purchases is through delivery.
3
An article bemoaning the difficulties facing Gristede's (owned by an ardent Trump supporter) and not one mention of Food Emporium, all of which stores closed several months ago. An interesting oversight.
1
Barbara, I am a conservative who belongs to Costco despite its' well known support for liberals and Democrats? Does everything really need to be politicized?
10
I hear all the plumbers are ardent Trump supporters, so I guess you'll have to get your water with a bucket and a well!
Early this year, a Walgreen's was going to replace the Associated Supermarket on Fort Washington and 187th Street and the neighborhood got together and put a stop to it. The Associated was allowed to sign another lease.
7
I lived a few blocks from that Pathmark for about 10 years before it closed. I'd go once a year and regret it every time. Poorly stocked, poorly staffed. Not a loss. The neighborhood may deserve a supermarket, but not that one.
4
Readers often wonder why NYT reporters refuse to state the obvious. When a retail store's sales fail to match its rent, employee wages, taxes, utilities, etc + a small profit for the owner it will always shut down! New Yorkers buy only rare necessities from a local market but then moan when it closes due to sales that don't match expenses! Profitable stores don't close! Why not tell readers that!
22
This is not about some boutique that fails. The ability to buy food to cook is an essential need. Yes, rents have risen too high, but what happens to a neighborhood without services?
3
Gristede's should close! Their prices are outrageous. Why would anyone except Catsimatidis shop there?
45
The lines are short, short, short so it is easy to pop in and get something and get out. The stores are open late at night. The prices are cheaper than at high end supermarkets like Whole Foods, they do have bargain brands also. It is a traditional supermarket and that is a rarity in Manhattan. Their employees are nice.
2
There is a Gristedes at the bottom of my building which they kind of fixed up recently so I do go there because of convenience, convenience, convenience. I do want to like Fresh Direct but had bad luck with some items in my first order (huge fissure in the very expensive melon, a can of beans for chili which couldn't be opened after the pull tab broke off and etc. ). So it's Gristedes for now.
2
Let's face it: many of these stores simple aren't any good. The Gristedes on East 86th? Smaller selection, higher prices, worse ambience, and less fresh produce than Fairway. The only reason ever to go there was if you desperately needed something at 3:00 am, since it was open 24 hours. It couldn't survive even after the Food Emporium half a block away closed. The Pathmark at 125th and Lex? People might miss its convenience, but it was not a good store by any stretch of the imagination. As the article acknowledges, the number of supermarkets in Manhattan has not decreased, and the number in the city overall has actually increased. Combine that with new food options--you can now get groceries from drug stores, general stores like Target, CSA's, and a whole assortment of online retailers from Fresh Direct to Blue Apron--and it's more reasonable to conclude that food availability for New Yorkers is actually improving.
54
Let's face it the stores were fine and survived for many decades, just not high end. They serve less a purpose in an area where only the ultra rich can live.
1
I guess this writer never cooks real food: vegetables and meat and grains. Buying pre-made sandwiches and sushi in a plastic box is not a substitute for what can be found in even the most imperfect supermarket.
3
@Imelda Fagin: I'm not sure how you're responding to my comment. The Gristedes on 86th was replaced by a Fairway and a Whole Foods. Where the Pathmark on 125th was is a Wild Olive Market, and there is also a full supermarket (Associated) nearby. No one in these neighborhoods is forced to eat "pre-made sandwiches and sushi in a plastic box."
4
this is such an important article. Every politician should read it and get to work trying to keep the mom and pop stores that not only give the neighborhood character, but also know what the neighbors need and know what your cat needs.
A major case in point is Second Avenue where so many owner operated small shops and restaurants closed because of subway construction. The Democrats that represented the neighborhood did NOTHING. They made signs that said "Shop Second Avenue." But, when it came to giving then tax breaks, they did NOTHING. There are so many closed stores along the subway construction route.
Once the subway opens, the rents will be raised and the only stores that will be able to afford the rents are bland national chains whose CEO's no nothing of the quirks of a New York Neighborhood.
A major case in point is Second Avenue where so many owner operated small shops and restaurants closed because of subway construction. The Democrats that represented the neighborhood did NOTHING. They made signs that said "Shop Second Avenue." But, when it came to giving then tax breaks, they did NOTHING. There are so many closed stores along the subway construction route.
Once the subway opens, the rents will be raised and the only stores that will be able to afford the rents are bland national chains whose CEO's no nothing of the quirks of a New York Neighborhood.
21
The neighborhood grocery was my refuse, my haven when I lived in Battery Park City. The turbaned night boy would listen to my long, sorrowful story about just getting divorced. We’d start talking then begin laughing at some stupid thing and then begin to toss head lettuce around, softball like. We’d juggle slippery green cucumbers. Make like Bugs Bunny with the raw carrot bunches. Open a tube of Pringles and toss the chips in the air, shouting, “It’s New Years!” That greengrocer saved my soul and my life. I’ll miss those memories when it’s gone.
15
With bias neither towards class nor education, I look at the first picture of what is called a food market, and I see maybe a thousand items, not a single one of which I would ever buy.
Some may think that's 'elitist', but I cook 500 meals a year for our family, and I spend less on food than the average person. I work hard to maintain a balance in both pleasure and sustenance.
This is a portrait of a food culture which needs a real shaking up from the ground up. Places like this one, stocking a thousand bright bottles and boxes, contrast with the wealthy, who now proudly eat brown bread and drink water.
The fruit stand in the other photo offers hope, (as does the abandoned store below it.) Whenever I mention these statistics I'm told that Americans no longer have time to cook. And yet Americans reportedly watch 36 hours of Television per week. Do, as they say, the math.
I'm going back to re-read Orwells "Wigan Pier". Join me if you can.
Some may think that's 'elitist', but I cook 500 meals a year for our family, and I spend less on food than the average person. I work hard to maintain a balance in both pleasure and sustenance.
This is a portrait of a food culture which needs a real shaking up from the ground up. Places like this one, stocking a thousand bright bottles and boxes, contrast with the wealthy, who now proudly eat brown bread and drink water.
The fruit stand in the other photo offers hope, (as does the abandoned store below it.) Whenever I mention these statistics I'm told that Americans no longer have time to cook. And yet Americans reportedly watch 36 hours of Television per week. Do, as they say, the math.
I'm going back to re-read Orwells "Wigan Pier". Join me if you can.
15
That was my reaction to that picture. Sugar water and processed food-in-a-box, oh yum. The concept of nutrition seems to be foreign to people, and it shows.
Listen lady: you are not the only person in NYC who cooks meal for a family almost every night of the year. And you probably don't spend any less than the rest of us NYC home cooks, unless you own a cow and some chickens (yes, I also grow vegetables!) so get off your high horse (unless you use it to plow your corn field)! I work full-time, watch little television (only because I find nothing to watch that isn't a re-make of the shows I saw 40 years ago. Downtown Abbey is just a remake of Upstairs, Downstairs)), don't participate in social media. The truth is shopping, preparing, cooking and the inevitable clean-up is time-consuming and exhausting! If bottled and boxed foods give families and couples some extra time to sit together, so be it!
6
What NYCSandi says.
@Sera Stephens: my you are so special. I guess none of the rest of us cook like you do! We can't possibly shop economically either -- you are so much better than us in every regard!
BTW: Americans ARE time stressed, and that is WHY they over-watch TV and social media -- as a way to de-stress from lousy jobs with long hours and not enough health insurance, and a constant demand to do more for less $$$$.
Not everyone enjoys cooking. I do, and I am sure I cook as often as you do and am even MORE economical -- but I am not so blindered that I cannot see how others are suffering.
@Sera Stephens: my you are so special. I guess none of the rest of us cook like you do! We can't possibly shop economically either -- you are so much better than us in every regard!
BTW: Americans ARE time stressed, and that is WHY they over-watch TV and social media -- as a way to de-stress from lousy jobs with long hours and not enough health insurance, and a constant demand to do more for less $$$$.
Not everyone enjoys cooking. I do, and I am sure I cook as often as you do and am even MORE economical -- but I am not so blindered that I cannot see how others are suffering.
5
To paraphrase the title of the book by Matthew Yglesias:
"The Rent Is Too Damn High"
According to this book, these costs are hollowing out communities, thwarting economic development, and rendering personal success and fulfillment increasingly difficult to achieve.
Now it appears that even supply of and other daily amenities is also threatened.
We need a serious dialog on this issue nation wide.
"The Rent Is Too Damn High"
According to this book, these costs are hollowing out communities, thwarting economic development, and rendering personal success and fulfillment increasingly difficult to achieve.
Now it appears that even supply of and other daily amenities is also threatened.
We need a serious dialog on this issue nation wide.
18
This is an oddly rose-tinted article. There is no love lost between many New Yorkers and chains like Gristedes or D'Ag, who scalped consumers for years on basic necessities like butter or yogurt or cereal. After all, A&P in the city had to change their name to Food Emporium just to avoid customers wondering why their prices were not the same as other A&P's they knew. And let's not forget that their handling was milk was so bad that for decades the milk containers came with an advanced expiry date just for NYC. Good riddance to all of them!
The real story is that supermarkets, like other sectors before them (anyone seen a Manhattan electronics shop recently?), have been disrupted and remade by new players who are simply better. There are still plenty of smaller supermarkets in the city, only they are now Aldi and Trader Joe's and not Pioneer or D'Ag. There are plenty of larger supermarkets, but the bad ones like Pathmark are being pushed out by the successful ones like Wegman's. And it's not just DR that added food - Target, BJ's and Costco are all over the city now, and each includes a full supermarket. And this is before we even get into Fresh Direct, Blue Apron, Amazon Prime Now and the other online competitors who have made shopping easier than ever, at prices still less than Gristedes'.
So please spare me the forlorn wistfulness of a closed Gristedes. They had their chance. Now get out of the way and let Aldi et. al do it better.
The real story is that supermarkets, like other sectors before them (anyone seen a Manhattan electronics shop recently?), have been disrupted and remade by new players who are simply better. There are still plenty of smaller supermarkets in the city, only they are now Aldi and Trader Joe's and not Pioneer or D'Ag. There are plenty of larger supermarkets, but the bad ones like Pathmark are being pushed out by the successful ones like Wegman's. And it's not just DR that added food - Target, BJ's and Costco are all over the city now, and each includes a full supermarket. And this is before we even get into Fresh Direct, Blue Apron, Amazon Prime Now and the other online competitors who have made shopping easier than ever, at prices still less than Gristedes'.
So please spare me the forlorn wistfulness of a closed Gristedes. They had their chance. Now get out of the way and let Aldi et. al do it better.
67
New players that are better would be great but that is not what is happening in the majority of cases. If a supermarket closes, a Walgreens is usually there to replace it.
3
Wrong wrong wrong. The Dagostinos in my neighborhood which was saved finally, always had good products and decent prices.
We are talking about location and ease of finding groceries close by.
We are talking about location and ease of finding groceries close by.
4
My father owned and operated a corner grocery store in Brooklyn, back when supermarkets were rare. That store was a gathering place for neighbors and a fixture in the community, and provided well for our family. The hours were brutal; he would arrive each morning at 5:00 AM to accept and inspect produce and bread deliveries and closed the store at 8:00 PM. Decades later, the store is long gone and the neighborhood is almost unrecognizable from the one of my youth, but I have fond memories of that little store and the esteem in which my father was held by his customers.
59
No mention of FreshDirect or AmazonFresh? This article is poorly reported. Spend less time bemoaning the demise of dirty stores of yesteryear with overpriced processed foods and a poor selection of fresh food, and analyze how New Yorkers actually get their food today. The new retailers come with their problems too (idling delivery trucks and customers who skew rich) but you can't even talk about the issue if you don't identify the facts on the ground.
20
Change is hard.
3
It is inconceivable that my already densely populated midtown neighborhood -Turtle Bay - with at least five new gigantic condo/rental towers ready to open - has lost three local Food Emporiums, with only a threadbare D'Agostino's desperately hanging on. Now we have only the overpriced Whole Foods and Morton Williams - also expensive, with meager weekly sales. How is it possible that an ordinary grocery chain can't make a profit with such a hugely populated neighborhood and customer base?
26
Anecdotally, everyone that I know who lives in Turtle Bay is a young, recent college graduate or twenty-something. Also anecdotally, a large majority of recent college graduates/young adult NYC residents choose to order in food or go out to eat (Seamless frequently, as well as local restaurants) instead of cooking. Another large contingent of this young, recent-grad population uses meal delivery services like Blue Apron. From my (admittedly narrow) point of view, this shift in the way a large and growing group of New Yorkers eats should have a huge impact on grocery stores in the city.
I will add, of course, that by no means all Turtle Bay residents are 23 year old Penn State grads. But, a growing number of those kinds of residents live in the areas cited in the article - Midtown, UES. I'm thinking the preferences of these young residents are causing at least some of this shift away from a traditional neighborhood grocery.
I will add, of course, that by no means all Turtle Bay residents are 23 year old Penn State grads. But, a growing number of those kinds of residents live in the areas cited in the article - Midtown, UES. I'm thinking the preferences of these young residents are causing at least some of this shift away from a traditional neighborhood grocery.
5
I understand that some NYC neighborhoods are underserved by groceries, but I would hardly compare it to post-Katrina New Orleans as Mr. Flickinger does. The number and diversity of supermarkets, small grocers, bodegas, fruit stands, and farmers markets in NYC does not compare to the limited options in New Orleans - even now, 10 years after Katrina, in Uptown and other middle/upper income mixed use neighborhoods. The hyperbole that Mr. Flickinger uses is, frankly, insulting to both cities.
I've lived between NYC and New Orleans for over three decades. Though I love hearing the songs of Mr. Okra, that much loved vegetable vendor, coming down my New Orleans street, I appreciate more the guys at the fruit stands on 3rd Ave. who will let me take a banana on credit.
I've lived between NYC and New Orleans for over three decades. Though I love hearing the songs of Mr. Okra, that much loved vegetable vendor, coming down my New Orleans street, I appreciate more the guys at the fruit stands on 3rd Ave. who will let me take a banana on credit.
11
While I am sympathetic to the loss of historical NY institutions, I personally do not regret the loss of these corner grocery stores. They are often cluttered, dirty, and overpriced. The only reason I ever shopped at these stores was because they were the only option at the time. The quality of the products and the overall experience at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Fresh Direct, etc., easily surpasses anything offered at Gristedes and Pathmark. The fact is the consumer is voting with their wallets, and with better choices, is moving away from these vendors
26
You reap what you sow and Mr. Catsimatidis has it right, it is about “money”. The absorption of mom and pop grocery stores and smaller grocery retail groups around the country by huge chains, e.g. Kroger, Safeway, etc. has been going on for decades…so why not in NYC? If local NYC residents, similar to consumers everywhere, were willing to buy the bulk of their groceries from smaller stores that inevitably need to charge more for numerous reasons, including the reduced efficiency those smaller stores have when sourcing, the corner grocery stores would be less inclined to sell out and/or would be able to pay their rent while turning a profit. This is like the tale of The Little Red Hen…many want to eat the cake but few want to help bake it, i.e., support their neighborhood store by understanding that to keep it you need to buy more from them at higher prices. This is no different then a study that was done in the 90’s to determine the buying habits of union workers at the national chain grocery stores. It turns out that a large percentage of those union retail workers did their shopping at Wal-Mart, a non-union business, because they enjoyed the lower prices. One wonders if those workers shared the responsibility when Wal-Mart put their own workplace out of business. Ultimately that’s nihilistic behavior but it appears that such is the American way…chase the discount. NYC appears to be no more immune from it then small towns throughout the country.
14
Chasing discounts? Maybe not being able to afford nor have the time to buy all your food in small shops, often with very poor selections.
2
a few years ago, in my rather isolated bronx neighborhood, the supermarket closed, leaving most of us high and dry. we have more little delis and groceries than i can count but nowhere to buy meat at a reasonable price, or a selection of fruits and vegetables with more variety than potatoes, cabbage and carrots, or oranges and bananas. many elderly people wound up taking taxis to an A&P (now also closed) two miles away. i found myself schlepping home more bags than i could reasonably carry from 14th street Food Emporium (about 2 subway stops from my office) to drag home home on the subway and then a bus. i finally resorted to Peapod, but while that fills in the void for heavy objects like washing detergent and cat food, it didn't always have the products i wanted. when C-Town opened in my neighborhood at long last (2 or more years after the closing of the market) i devoted myself to shopping there, getting to know the cashiers and managers and making sure they know i'm satisfied and delighted by their presence in the neighborhood. it has taken a bit of time for people to get used to shopping there after so long making other arrangements, but it now seems to be bustling. developers and landlords need to realize there's no point in living in a place where you can't shop for life's necessities and little pleasures.
36
As a New Yorker I would love to see more Whole Foods and/or markets with high quality produce, meat, fish and cheese around. This is what I try to purchase, and it can be beyond frustrating to have to walk to four different grocery stores to track down some asparagus or Brussel sprouts. Hence why Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Fresh Direct are doing so well. Many of the "traditional" grocers' inventories consist mainly of packaged, processed foods and have sad, small sections of the store dedicated to fresh food. Perhaps if more of the traditional grocers and corner stores focused on quality products they could get out of the rut of competing fruitlessly against Duane Reade's packaged foods section.
46
give me a neighborhood bodega over a Whole Foods with it's holier than thou attitude to everything...heaven help you if you get in the wrong colored check out line in a WF!
5
Garden of Eden is a wonderful store with high quality food, but it had to declare bankruptcy.
5
When I visited friends living in NYC, I wondered how they tolerated local supermarkets that were dark and dank, smelled of feet and consistently sold out-of-date (and at times spoiled) meat and dairy products. I was happy when Whole Foods arrived and people had the opportunity to buy decent food. Regardless of where I live, I make sure I am within walking distance of a decent supermarket. It is Publix for me now and Whole Foods is not that far away either. Having to get in a car or take a subway/bus ride to go grocery shopping is a nonstarter.
19
Lynn, where is the Publix in the District? I didn't know one was operating yet.
1
Yes, having to take a subway for food is a nonstarter. But not everyone can afford to shop at Whole Food. And not every supermarket in NYC is dark and smelly
7
If you're within walking distance of a Publix, then you don't live in, "Um, DC." They apparently have plans to expand into Northern Virginia — but currently, the closest is in Raleigh.
3
I'm not familiar with this concept of walking to buy groceries. My nearest supplier of groceries is 1.5 miles away, and I live in what is considered an "urban" neighborhood.
I speak facetiously, of course. I just returned from Paris, where in a residential neighborhood I passed two groceries between my hotel and the Metro, two blocks away. Visiting a friend in an old urban neighborhood in Brussels, within five minutes there were the butcher, the baker, the greengrocer, the cheesemonger, the wine merchant, the chemist, the bank, and even a small hardware store.
Having these facilities close at hand is an amenity in large cities. My wife and I often visit Chicago, where the corner markets have been disappearing for years as cafes and high rise apartments take their place. If I lived in one of those buildings I would think it invaluable to have a grocery with an entrance in my lobby. But maybe I'm just one of those few people left in the world who actually cooks.
I speak facetiously, of course. I just returned from Paris, where in a residential neighborhood I passed two groceries between my hotel and the Metro, two blocks away. Visiting a friend in an old urban neighborhood in Brussels, within five minutes there were the butcher, the baker, the greengrocer, the cheesemonger, the wine merchant, the chemist, the bank, and even a small hardware store.
Having these facilities close at hand is an amenity in large cities. My wife and I often visit Chicago, where the corner markets have been disappearing for years as cafes and high rise apartments take their place. If I lived in one of those buildings I would think it invaluable to have a grocery with an entrance in my lobby. But maybe I'm just one of those few people left in the world who actually cooks.
69
Cedar Rapids, Iowa isn't urban; it is a giant suburb.
2
Walking for groceries is common in New York City, where few people have cars or places to garage them. This is probably true in Brussels and Paris, as well.
2
I'm curious if Costco (at 117th Street on the East Side Manhattan) has had any impact on shopping for groceries. It must cut into profits for some of the stores, though it doesn't alter the need for a quick shop on the way home if you are caught needing something immediately.
5
I routinely make the trek to the Target on East 116th Street whenever they have sales on frozen dinners and paper products, kitty litter, etc. (Yes, they DO have groceries, limited it's true, but worth the trip for sales and discounted household goods. And no $50 membership fee.) And now, more than ever - with the disappearance of most of my local supermarkets.
3
This could all be mitigated through zoning, but our government officials don't care as they are in the back pocket of the developers.
46
Absolutely correct!
2
When my wife and I moved to our current location, we mapped out what we considered important (grocery, library, job), and then moved as close to it all as we could afford to do. Years ago we realized the benefits of doing so.
The grocery near us is a Co-op that has morphed into a small store: largely organic, decidedly non-GMO, and many local offerings. These are things that resonate with us. One can join, pay a moderate membership fee (20? 25 bucks a year?) and receive blanket discount on items. Donated work (per month) to the Co-op gets one further discounts that top out at 25% off all items.
Yet, the common complaint I hear is: too expensive. We shopped at the local-ish chain (and it is actually a really nice regional one, not a national chain), and yes there are price differences, but in the long run, it is minimal. A grocery 3 minutes (by foot) away means easy access, less waste (no need to shop for the week), and if one has a decent handle on food preparation and planning, a local grocery is a boon to cooking meals. One can go and plan meals as you shop. It is like having a really big pantry and refrigerator/freezer in your house: pop in, see what's interesting, buy it, and go cook.
Poor culinary skills along with a rather unreasonable, and largely unsustainable, focus on cheap food are major problems. One must intentionally support local businesses (or not if it is a bad business).
Local businesses, though, should keep it small and keep it local. Don't get greedy.
The grocery near us is a Co-op that has morphed into a small store: largely organic, decidedly non-GMO, and many local offerings. These are things that resonate with us. One can join, pay a moderate membership fee (20? 25 bucks a year?) and receive blanket discount on items. Donated work (per month) to the Co-op gets one further discounts that top out at 25% off all items.
Yet, the common complaint I hear is: too expensive. We shopped at the local-ish chain (and it is actually a really nice regional one, not a national chain), and yes there are price differences, but in the long run, it is minimal. A grocery 3 minutes (by foot) away means easy access, less waste (no need to shop for the week), and if one has a decent handle on food preparation and planning, a local grocery is a boon to cooking meals. One can go and plan meals as you shop. It is like having a really big pantry and refrigerator/freezer in your house: pop in, see what's interesting, buy it, and go cook.
Poor culinary skills along with a rather unreasonable, and largely unsustainable, focus on cheap food are major problems. One must intentionally support local businesses (or not if it is a bad business).
Local businesses, though, should keep it small and keep it local. Don't get greedy.
5
I'm sure the developers who created this untenable situation have no problem getting groceries into their fridge; they just hire underlings to do it, and Michael Bloomberg, whose perverse vision we are now enduring, was never spotted in a checkout line. Welcome to the new New York: No markets, no restaurants, no culture, but plenty of exorbitant glass cages from which you can scoff at other suckers like you.
18
Replace them all with Trader Joe's. Problem solved. Situation improved.
6
Trader Joe's - Bodega to the stars!
1
We live where Chinatown meets SoHo. We recently lost our two delis and the fruit vendor that my kids grew up with. The family owned businesses served all of the people who work in the neighborhood, who can't afford a daily dose of Sweetgreen salad, and just want a cheap cup of coffee. They were friendly and places where you might run into your neighbors for a short chat. We don't get our meals delivered in cardboard boxes. If we run out of eggs, it's an annoying walk to the overpriced market ten blocks away. Now my neighborhood is overrun with active wear stores and counterfeit handbags. I can't really even call it a neighborhood.
11
a neighborhood without a supermarket is not a neighborhood.
it's a tragedy.
it's a tragedy.
20
Thank you NYTimes for writing this piece. The death of the small neighborhood grocery store brings a tear to my eye and your article brings nostalgic memories of going to the local 'bodega' of my childhood. However, taking the story a step further, what existed before one-stop shop for everything, otherwise known as the 'super'market. I long for places where you have separate bakeries, butchers, fish markets, and produce centers. Each business was excellent at its craft and you couldn't 'spread' the losses of substandard quality items across your entire business. I'd love to hear about places like this and I would move if I knew where they were.
7
woodstock, ny. 2 hours to the city. market, bakeries, fish, butchers, know your name, drugstore will deliver.......
2
Someone just said that in Europe, namely Brussels and Paris, have all those small, specialty shops. Thirty years ago, England did, too; Don't know about now.
2
This is part of Gentrification - the blight that is neutering New York CIty. It is stripping NYC of all character and turning it into a high rise suburb devoid of the very identity that attracted the world to move to or visit. RIP:the real NYC!
15
I grew up in my parents, neighborhood grocery store in Far Rockaway. In fact, it was our neighborhood, as we lived around the corner. It was a wonderful small town experience. Today, I live in the Upper West Side. Thank goodness for the Associated a couple of blocks away. Yes, the aisles are suffocating and the cashiers ignore you at best, but at least they offer a wide variety of food, reflecting the neighborhood at affordable prices. On the other hand, the nearby Gristedes is a cold, soulless and overpriced store. Not to mention all the empty storefronts, including former supermarkets, in the neighborhood. But at least we have a lot of Duane Reades and banks.
7
I grew up in Far Rockaway!
1
Take heart New Yorkers, especially Brooklynites! I know someone who left the beloved homeland recently, got a gorgeous apartment in the booming Piedmont of southwestern North Carolina, and has an enormous shopping center, on the other side of the road to his new dwelling! A mere 700 feet away! Only caveat to getting there, is to cross the road, one takes his life into his hands, and the only really safe way is to drive his car! Talk about being peeved?! ( But the food selection and accoutrements are fantastic.)
4
How much does a store in a lousy neighborhood lose to shoplifting compared to a better neighborhood? How much loss is a store owner supposed to deal with?
1
This article is primarily about the loss of stores in wealthy areas, like Manhattan, because of high rents. In my neighborhood, the average household income is $165K, but most of the grocery stores have closed because they can't make the rent.
13
There will come a time when Manhattan will become so expensive only the 1% will be able to afford to live there, but will they want to? The rest of the island will be skyscrapers. All skyscrapers, including Central Park.
10
It's mostly the 1% now.
how did this article get published without a mention of fresh direct/FoodKick or amazon? The average New Yorker has never had more access to fresh ingredients than they do today, especially those in low income neighborhoods. Now we just need to deal with their monopolization.
2
Same thing happening in the suburbs. A lot of strip malls are starting to look like bombed out shells. Pathmark, A&P, KMart etc. pulled out and all that is left is an eyesore underpinning the community.
9
"Although it seems as if the options are diminishing, there are approximately 170 more supermarkets in New York City today than a decade ago," from your article lamenting the loss of supermarkets and bodegas.
Places close. Places open. This is part of the reason why this city is always called "dynamic." It changes. Sometimes it's for better. Sometimes it's for worse.
It was really a shame that both Eagle and Bierkraft left the area right around the same time, though.
Places close. Places open. This is part of the reason why this city is always called "dynamic." It changes. Sometimes it's for better. Sometimes it's for worse.
It was really a shame that both Eagle and Bierkraft left the area right around the same time, though.
5
We lost the supermarket down the street from us in Brooklyn to--guess what? A new condo tower. It's scary, the notion that we can just keep adding more and more and more units of expensive housing and take away basic amenities. How is it supposed to work? More Fresh Direct trucks idling on our residential streets? Cans of soup and boxes of crackers from the corner deli for people who can't afford to drive to Fairway or order online?
19
Don't fret, soon robot clones will deliver your groceries from a central location.
Of course, it will cost $100 each delivery on top of the very high grocery prices.
But you'll feel so hip and trendy, because you live in Brooklyn!
Of course, it will cost $100 each delivery on top of the very high grocery prices.
But you'll feel so hip and trendy, because you live in Brooklyn!
So glad someone else noticed. In Midtown East we lost a dagostinos, 2 food emporiums including the beautiful Bridgemarket, and a corner deli-grocery (not to mention countless other stores like Gap, Sam Flax, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, stores that put the world within reach). The one Dagostino that Catsimadis saved for a while was like living in Russia: shelves empty, maybe a loaf of bread, maybe not. (It's better today but still a small store with limited space and limited choice but it was surely a strange phenomenon when people kept shopping in a virtually empty store and asking where the food went.) Morton Williams took over one and it's clean but the prepared foods are subpar. People huddle around the street fruit vendors sometimes 5 deep - cheap fruit but stuff that is past date. The lines at Whole Foods on a weekend can be psychotic. So the answer is, more home deliveries that burden building staff and clutter hallways with boxes from Fresh Direct and Amazon Prime. Meanwhile a lot of those vacated spaces just sit empty - what is the tradeoff when you raise rent for a viable tenant only to have no rent for more than a year in most cases? Greedy developers are making Manhattan unlivable in so many more ways beyond housing.
34
Landlords can write off income taxes when an apartment or building sits empty. That's true in L.A., also.
2
My wife and I live a block on Broadway which had a Food Emporium next to the Citi Diner. When the Food Emporium closed, we realized it was certainly less of a tragedy than if the Diner had closed.
4
We moved to a new home; happy that we'll have a Food Emporium 2 blocks away. That didn't last long, as the chain went bankrupt. Now we do what I call "fragmented grocery shopping". Fast moving staples (milk, toilet paper, etc.), I buy from a nearby Duane Reade or this disgusting, dirty local store, so I don't have to carry them for many blocks. For fresh groceries and meat, I go to Fairway or Whole Foods, half an hour walk away, and buy what we need - nothing more. I have to be prudent and not give in to all the tempting choices these stores offer. I use the corner fruit cart for items we consume fast - tomatoes, apples. Forget about trying to eat organic. You need to be practical. One stop shopping has become a thing of the past. Yes we've adapted for now, but what we'll happen when old age hits? Or if we have a health problem? FreshDirect, or its likes, is not for everyone. The city needs to be more creative in finding solutions to support local grocery stores - it all comes down to $s, so lower taxes, offer kick backs, offer tax benefits to property owners renting out to grocery stores...have they really considered all options/ideas? Same for local stores - they have to be more creative, too. If items are lying around with dust on them, that points to poor inventory management. Eliminate items you don't sell; go for small footprint stocked with fast moving items. Do you really need to sell 5 brands of saltines? In other words, know thy customer. As a local store should!
12
Fresh Direct and other delivery services have played a role too.
1
No mention of Fresh Direct? Unless that's what you mean by online grocery shopping. Groceries delivered by noisy trucks that clog narrow streets when there's a grocery store a few blocks away is a sad change in city culture.
23
NYC is more and more characterized by landlord and developer greed. And a Mayor and city planners who give them anything they ask for. And who raise property taxes without cease. Neighborhood density? You cannot get into a subway at rush hour.
33
The truth.
2
Gristede's is [was] an overpriced grocery with unimaginative products and, often, sorry- looking produce. The closing of an outlets in one's neighborhood should be event to celebrate, because sooner or later a better store will open nearby.
26
There is no reason at all to believe that "better stores" will suddenly open it. Did you even read this piece? More likely a fancy huge Whole Foods will open 7 blocks away.
I have no familiarity with Gristedes, but sometimes you just need milk or some peanut butter, and it does not have to be from a fancy, artisanal store with specialty products.
I have no familiarity with Gristedes, but sometimes you just need milk or some peanut butter, and it does not have to be from a fancy, artisanal store with specialty products.
First of all, the photo of the produce stand misidentifies its location. It's true location is 25th Street and 8th Avenue. Second, the prices at Gristedes are shockingly high. In my neighborhood, everyone tries to avoid shopping there.
Garden of Eden is a real gem. It's prices are very good and its produce is exceptional, as are its cakes. Losing Garden of Eden would be a great loss.
Garden of Eden is a real gem. It's prices are very good and its produce is exceptional, as are its cakes. Losing Garden of Eden would be a great loss.
44
Another granola muncher. Lots of people shop at that Gristedes. Their prices are higher because rent is astronomical. Basic math.
2
The Garden of Eden is hurting,
And they may be closing
And they may be closing
2
As a relative newcomer to Manhattan, I find this to be a huge lifestyle challenge here. Our "neighborhood" store is a Morton Williams where the prices appear to be at least double on most products of what they should be -- insanely, laughably high prices. From what I have seen, people shop there because they don't care about the cost and/or can't physically travel more than a few blocks from home and are captive consumers.... I schlep to the Fairway up on 86th and down to Trader Joes at least once a week, hauling groceries home on the subway as the price to pay for variety and more reasonable grocery bills.. I also buy "non perishables" on line where the prices match those outside of Manhattan -- but it's obviously a vicious circle -- the fewer local choices, the more we support the huge chains, draining money away from neighborhood stores. Maybe we need to find a way to tackle rent expenses for local stores in a more systematic way instead of ending up with places that charge $8 for a box of strawberries or a bottle of catsup......
14
This is part of a larger story, which is the rapid transformation of many NYC neighborhoods into forests of gigantic glass and metal luxury apartment towers. Human scale streetscapes and street life are being replaced by luxury towers which make me wonder just who the heck can afford to buy or rent apartments there. Example: the new, gigantic residential tower going up on the Greenpoint, Brooklyn waterfront, depressingly visible from the Manhattan waterfront. All by itself, it has overwhelmed -- destroyed, really -- the homely, low-key Greenpoint neighborhood. Local grocery stores are just some of the many casualties.
56
But isn't that what you city folk want -- and pride yourselves on? Huge glass towers, tiny studio apartments that rent for $4000 a month (or cost $850,000 to buy)?
And don't you mock us "stupid suburbanites" with our houses on yards, and our cars in the driveway?
I have at least 10 supermarkets within a 10 minute drive of my home (including Trader Joe, Whole Foods and local specialty markets) AND fresh markets and farmer markets (one huge one is year round) AND since I have a CAR, I can bring home as much in any one trip as suits my needs.
And I live in a very drab part of Rustbelt flyover country.
And don't you mock us "stupid suburbanites" with our houses on yards, and our cars in the driveway?
I have at least 10 supermarkets within a 10 minute drive of my home (including Trader Joe, Whole Foods and local specialty markets) AND fresh markets and farmer markets (one huge one is year round) AND since I have a CAR, I can bring home as much in any one trip as suits my needs.
And I live in a very drab part of Rustbelt flyover country.
1
It is no different in Australia. When I first moved into my neighbourhood 45 years ago, my Chinese neighbour owned a general store on the corner. It was full of all sorts of interesting merchandise not carried by the large chain store which eventually stole his business. His four daughters learned English as their cribs were grocery boxes propped up in front of the shop, and who could resist a cute baby? As for apartment gluts, my home town is suffering from this, but still they reach for the sky in ever increasing numbers. One of Brisbane's historic precincts is about to be closed for 'refurbishment'. Its ambience will be lost to the city's second casino and still more apartments. I think some folk, including our civic 'leaders', are kidding themselves.
2
CC,
Don't gloat too much! What else is there to do but eat in "drab ... Rustbelt flyover country"?
Don't gloat too much! What else is there to do but eat in "drab ... Rustbelt flyover country"?
2
Manhattan will soon become nothing more than a pristine city of skyscrapers for the ultra rich who will send their servants to the outer boroughs to buy their food and necessities. The rents are just ridiculous. We lived there 19 years ago and we could just get by on $80k in a one bedroom in a nice neighborhood. I think we'd need 4-5 times that now to live in the same apartment. And the local D'Agostinos one block away and the Food Emporium 3 blocks away are all gone, now.
40
A suggestion for avoiding congestion related to food and digestion:
Apply the WalMart model of remote distribution centers, on a smaller scale, to inner city stores. Multiple suppliers deliver their products to a single distribution center in an outlying area. The next day's resupply is repackaged into a single truck that off loads to small stores in late night hours when traffic is least.
Apply the WalMart model of remote distribution centers, on a smaller scale, to inner city stores. Multiple suppliers deliver their products to a single distribution center in an outlying area. The next day's resupply is repackaged into a single truck that off loads to small stores in late night hours when traffic is least.
3
What nonsense. When I moved to Brooklyn in 1994, my parents told me not to expect the suburban-style supermarkets that I had know growing up. They were right. But I have no nostalgia for shopping in small, poorly stocked stores, or having to figure out ways to make three meals out of the dry food sold there, like four year old boxes of Ronzoni pasta and Ragu tomato sauce. And no, after five years of shopping there, they didn't greet me like an old friend or even know my name. In a city that had few high-quality grocery stores, these businesses served a vital purpose, but the city is vastly better served by the many large supermarkets opening across ever borough. And seriously, these 30,000 - 40,000 sq. ft. stores are selling more than just artisanal cheese. They have all the fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, and fish that the corner store never carried, as well as a vastly better and fresher selection of dry goods than four year old boxes of Ronzoni pasta.
92
And far less expensive than the corner stores.
Good comment.
Good comment.
3
OK, but why do you have to exaggerate and make a baseless claim - twice - that those old supermarkets were selling four-year-old boxes of pasta and tomato sauce? I grew up shopping in Key Food and Waldbaums and later worked at Waldbaums and Pantry Pride as a stock boy and cashier. There were no four-year-old boxes of anything. I mean, people bought Ronzoni and Ragu products in droves so why would there be anything other than fresh product on the shelves?
And those stores were never poorly stocked, either. So I get it. You like the big box supermarkets (so do I, BTW) but there's no need to baselessly demonize the old supermarkets which served their purpose and did it well for many, many years.
And those stores were never poorly stocked, either. So I get it. You like the big box supermarkets (so do I, BTW) but there's no need to baselessly demonize the old supermarkets which served their purpose and did it well for many, many years.
7
Those issues are just as true in suburbia as in the big city -- do you go to the small bodega or family run store, OR do you hoof it to the Mega Mart and drag home tons of groceries (which you then have to put away, a big task)?
The Mega Mart is cheaper, but it involves hours of negotiating crowds and long, long lines....dear god, the LINES.
The big difference in the Big City is that it is unlikely you have a giant SUV or minivan to shove yourself, a couple of kids and strollers, and then fill the whole thing up 20 bags of groceries and drive home.
The delicate calculations of what you can buy and lug home, are very different in a big city, because you have to carry it all yourself -- unless you are rich enough to have everything delivered.
With continuing march of big cities to be playgrounds of the very, very wealthy....we all know the answer to this.
The Mega Mart is cheaper, but it involves hours of negotiating crowds and long, long lines....dear god, the LINES.
The big difference in the Big City is that it is unlikely you have a giant SUV or minivan to shove yourself, a couple of kids and strollers, and then fill the whole thing up 20 bags of groceries and drive home.
The delicate calculations of what you can buy and lug home, are very different in a big city, because you have to carry it all yourself -- unless you are rich enough to have everything delivered.
With continuing march of big cities to be playgrounds of the very, very wealthy....we all know the answer to this.
1
there is no mention of Fresh direct. many new buildings have refrigerator storage to accommodate those deliveries.
1
Some people like to walk the aisles of grocery stores.
8
Maybe it's the wave of the future, at least in cities -- that you will HAVE to order everything to be delivered (*at a steep mark up) -- meaning you don't get to pick your own produce -- don't get to spot the occasional bargain -- don't get to mingle with friends or neighbors or potential dates -- don't get to eat free samples or flirt -- don't get to know your butcher or greens guy -- just huddle in your hermetically sealed co op apartment or condo, and wait for the drone to deliver your artisanal cheese and imported tofu.
2
I have way fewer grocery stores near me and I live near Gramercy Park. Since I've moved here in the 80s, five supermarkets have closed, grocery stores, pharmacies and more, have closed --but in their place we have nail salons on every block (two next door to each other). So I may have to hike for food, but I'll never be at a loss for where to get a pedicure.
61
There is also no mention that Fairway is in bankruptcy. I must also tell you I doubt what they count as replacement food stores. No mention of Fresh direct either. Except for trader Joe's the price points are much higher. Middle class and poor people in the city are in trouble.
11
They want you to leave (the poor and middle classes).
The working classes are already long gone.
You will leave next.
So the Big Urban playgrounds of wealth and opulence will be JUST FOR THE RICH...and their servants.
This is just part of the way they drive you out.
The working classes are already long gone.
You will leave next.
So the Big Urban playgrounds of wealth and opulence will be JUST FOR THE RICH...and their servants.
This is just part of the way they drive you out.
3
Important article.
The loss of our local supermarket really impacts the neighborhood. As the article notes it feels like the loss of a community anchor. Loss of supermarket makes daily life much more stressful. And very hard for the elderly and disabled.
Besides the constant lines,the proliferation of Whole Foods and Trader Joe's is also a stark reminder of how in less than a decade, chain stores and corporations have destroyed local or neighborhood stores and businesses.
Also interesting that both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods only see to hire college-educated staff?
The growth in use of online/delivery food shopping is a related issue. There seems to be no concern among users about the significant environmental and traffic congestion impact of getting food via truck delivery (Fresh Direct, Amazon, Uber eats) - instead of walking a few blocks to do food shopping
The loss of our local supermarket really impacts the neighborhood. As the article notes it feels like the loss of a community anchor. Loss of supermarket makes daily life much more stressful. And very hard for the elderly and disabled.
Besides the constant lines,the proliferation of Whole Foods and Trader Joe's is also a stark reminder of how in less than a decade, chain stores and corporations have destroyed local or neighborhood stores and businesses.
Also interesting that both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods only see to hire college-educated staff?
The growth in use of online/delivery food shopping is a related issue. There seems to be no concern among users about the significant environmental and traffic congestion impact of getting food via truck delivery (Fresh Direct, Amazon, Uber eats) - instead of walking a few blocks to do food shopping
10
How can you not mention Food Emporium? Three, within walking distance in my neighborhood - midtown East 50s - have closed, and the remaining D'Agostino's is hanging on by a thread - half-empty shelves, skimpy selection, etc. My neighborhood, already crowded, has at least five gigantic condo/rental towers just completed or about to contribute a tidal wave of new population to the already densely packed Turtle Bay. Of course there's Whole Foods - fancy schmancy high priced and no sales, and Morton Williams, ditto. It's inconceivable that a grocery chain cannot make a profit in this neighborhood, inconceivable that there is not a decent place anymore to buy one's weekly groceries.
16
If you think Morton Williams is "fancy schmancy," then you must really be setting your sights low. There are actually two MW's near you: 1st Avenue between 56th and 57th and 2nd Avenue between 48th and 49th. Combined with WF and D'Ag means you have four full-sized supermarkets in your neighborhood. Many people would kill to have that many nearby. But even if those four aren't enough for you, you can always shop online, join a CSA, visit the greenmarket at 47th and 2nd, etc.
10
All of which I use - including the Union Square Greenmarket and Trader Joe's. AND Target at E. 116th Street - when they have sales.
Maybe I AM spoiled. But just sayin'... living in midtown Manhattan (for close to 50 years) use to mean "walkability" to any number of groceries, delis, Korean markets, etc. - now fast disappearing just as my neighborhood's population explodes. And by the way, D'Ag's is on life support and it is Whole Foods that is really too rich ("fancy schmancy" i.e. expensive ) for this senior citizen.
Maybe I AM spoiled. But just sayin'... living in midtown Manhattan (for close to 50 years) use to mean "walkability" to any number of groceries, delis, Korean markets, etc. - now fast disappearing just as my neighborhood's population explodes. And by the way, D'Ag's is on life support and it is Whole Foods that is really too rich ("fancy schmancy" i.e. expensive ) for this senior citizen.
6
The article laments the closure of Pathmark. I remember Pathmark's arrival in my East Flatbush Brooklyn neighborhood in the late 1960s / early 1970s. There was significant "community" opposition as it was claimed Pathmark would destroy the existing small, family run, grocery stores, resulting in longer walks for seniors, etc.
8
It's depressing? What would be depressing is if Sahadi's couldn't stay open. Or Integral Yoga. Or if the farmer's markets were banned because of billionaire supermarkets that carry oreos and pop tarts and hamburger.
When Pannah health food store on 2nd Ave below 8th closed, that was depressing. When KERWICKI closed, that was depressing, here's a list>
http://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/08/this-time-capsule-shows-the-east-vil...
When Pannah health food store on 2nd Ave below 8th closed, that was depressing. When KERWICKI closed, that was depressing, here's a list>
http://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/08/this-time-capsule-shows-the-east-vil...
3
These are among all the fibres of America that have been, and are now continually being, shredded day by day. Our common bonds are being dissolved daily. Someone, maybe Al Gore, once that there is more that unites us than there is that divides us. That is no longer the case.
If a corner market is subdued by a condo or apartment tower, then that community engendered by the corner market is destroyed. The separate lives of people in the towers will never generate similar community.
One would think that the need for housing and the need for food could coexist. One might think that the need for food would even surpass the need for housing. This is obviously not the case.
To paraphrase Will Rogers, when America starves, it will do so within a nice, safe, warm and dry condo or apartment which contains an empty refrigerator.
If a corner market is subdued by a condo or apartment tower, then that community engendered by the corner market is destroyed. The separate lives of people in the towers will never generate similar community.
One would think that the need for housing and the need for food could coexist. One might think that the need for food would even surpass the need for housing. This is obviously not the case.
To paraphrase Will Rogers, when America starves, it will do so within a nice, safe, warm and dry condo or apartment which contains an empty refrigerator.
9
Jane Jacobs said it as well.
5
With Queens started to lose supermarkets 10 years ago, I am amazed there are still any Manhattan ones left. It's nothing short of a miracle they had survived in that real estate jungle.
2
Many supermarkets are complicit in their own demise. At a, now gone, supermarket on the UWS, it would take twenty minutes to check out even though the vast store was not busy. The cashiers were always talking to their friends while slowwwwwwly checking your items.
Another large supermarket on the UWS couldn't make it. There was a NYT article claiming the Manhattan landscape could no longer support large food sellers. Then, Trade Joe opened a couple of blocks away and business is booming.
The bottom line is that the old supermarket chains are not operated in a manner that serves their customers.
Another large supermarket on the UWS couldn't make it. There was a NYT article claiming the Manhattan landscape could no longer support large food sellers. Then, Trade Joe opened a couple of blocks away and business is booming.
The bottom line is that the old supermarket chains are not operated in a manner that serves their customers.
38
They are not complicit. Give it a rest. I have shopped for 25 years in NYC and never had to wait 20 minutes to check out. Perhaps 5 minutes at most.
5
At my C-Town, cashiers do not look up from their cellphones and fingernails and never say hello or thank you.
And the milk is always sour -- even organic milk with experation dates stretching for a month. Saving money by lowering the refrigeration, I guess.
I have stopped trying to shop there. Better to travel elsewhere and know I am giving my money to a store that respects its customers.
And the milk is always sour -- even organic milk with experation dates stretching for a month. Saving money by lowering the refrigeration, I guess.
I have stopped trying to shop there. Better to travel elsewhere and know I am giving my money to a store that respects its customers.
2
Over the past ten years, we've lost a Key Food and a Met Food and now have no supermarkets in Carroll Gardens. We have lots of small specialty stores and high end markets but the basic supermarkets that you describe are gone and are missed. And I partly have myself to blame as I do 90% of my shopping through Fresh Direct.
12
A city dweller for decades til I moved to rural Wisconsin. My town has lost its grocery, hardware and small jewelry store. As Mr. Berger in the article notes: "Your World view is disrupted." Sadly, we are often the cause of the demise as we shop at larger stores for our supplies using local shops for "necessities."
My day in Manhattan often included a stop at the green grocer and then a meat or fish market as I headed home. Here in Wisconsin I used to walk down the hill into town, get the local news and opinions from the shop owners, pick up a view things, grab an espresso or beer and walk back home.
Now I get into a metal box, drive to another box and return home. The old way was much better.
My day in Manhattan often included a stop at the green grocer and then a meat or fish market as I headed home. Here in Wisconsin I used to walk down the hill into town, get the local news and opinions from the shop owners, pick up a view things, grab an espresso or beer and walk back home.
Now I get into a metal box, drive to another box and return home. The old way was much better.
27
This is not just a problem in NYC. My grocery store in the PA suburbs closed a year ago, and now I have a long drive for basics like toilet paper.
6
Wegmans...In BROOKLYN??? They refused placing a store in the Town of New Paltz, saying they "weren't interested in New York"... guess nothing but the "hipster"part. There is now a Tops where the Stop and Shop used to be. It's terrible. But Wegmans didn't want our pittances. Bring back BOHACK!
3
Wegman's IS a New York family owned firm. It is from Rochester!
8
Simple answer: There are no Price Choppers or Market 32s in Brooklyn. It is apparent that the Wegman family will not compete with the Golub family. Overlay a map of each company's locations and the only overlap is in Syracuse; and even there, not in the same side of the city.
6
I share the same sadness with the people featured here. It seems that everything being built for rich people and middle class folks have to sick it up or leave. Corner stores, ethnic grocers, ethnic bakeries were and still are a part of my NYer identity. If I wanted Russian Moskovsky bread (great for French Toast, BTW ), I could go to 76 St on 37th Ave in Jackson Heights to the Eastern European grocer/baker who was friendly and serviceable near my father's practice; cross the street to the Uruguayan bakery and get some sweets. Wanted Indian mithai? Just walk back to 74th between Roosevelt Ave & 30th Ave. And I could still get plantains and other Latino staples in the supermarkets. Even my old home neighborhood, Bellerose/Queens Village lost our German deli, Wunderbar. These are institutions being taken over by faceless corporations and displacing locally owned and controlled enterprises that are vested in the interests of their local community. They sponsor little league, provide a place for retirees near their homes to remain independent and engaged. ESOPS are looking to be a solution to try and stem the corporate takeover.
26