It as my favorite store in NYC. So sad.
Another New York institution sadly falls by the wayside. . . Will Balthazar, Cafe Lalo, The Angelika, Generation Records, Bowery Bar, The Strand, and Zabar’s be able to stay open, given rising commercial leases? Soon there will only be retail banks in every window in The City.
5
Gone the way of Balducci’s and Jefferson Street Market. Both, in my opinion, better than D&D.
6
Great food stores like Sahadi's and Damascus Bakery in Brooklyn always keep to their mission, great unique food at a good price. Sahadi's and Damascus never drifted away from this while Dean and DeLuca did that is why they are gone.
5
Hugely Overpriced
5
A true horror from the get go. 8 bucks plus for a loaf of bread. Really. A cup of coffee was a fortune and not so go. So good bye and good riddance. I’m sure the rich will find a place to shop.
10
The truth is, Dean & DeLuca was no longer unique. Agata & Valentina, Gourmet Garage, Butterfield Market, Fairway, Grand Central Market, and Garden Gourmet in Riverdale (to name just a few) have taken up the mantle as retail suppliers of fancy groceries, cheeses, and such, in some cases at much more reasonable prices. And in the democratization of gourmandise, even some supermarkets carry items that used to be only D&D's purview. No wonder their customer base has shrunk so.
Another possible factor in its demise is the changes to SoHo: from a residential area populated by people with more taste than money to a vast shopping mall for those with more money than taste. Years ago, I met someone who did all her food shopping at D&D; the "shrinking customer traffic" says she would be rare nowadays, if she were even still around.
And then of course there is the blind greed of real estate developers . . .
15
@ Suzanne Fass Upper Upper Manhattan
I applaude your profound familiarity with the New York gourmet scene. Would you also have similar knowledge of Cicago area and, if yes, share it with us?
3
@Suzanne Fass It is extremely unlikely that "changes to SoHo" had any significant impact on the store's closing. As you say, shoppers in that neighborhood have plenty of money, and lack of taste wouldn't stop them from patronizing a store with D&D's brand recognition. As this article notes, D&D has closed nearly every location throughout the country, so obviously there is something going on besides local changes. (See previous NYT reporting on D&D and Pace Development for more background.)
Certainly an end of an era and a casualty of mismanagement, internet sales and the adoption of more “exotic” ingredients by more mainstream grocers (or at least Whole Foods). Years ago, I could venture into the DC branch and find a unique spice, flour, seasoning mix or sauce that could inspire new recipes and unique dishes. The expansion of foodie culture has meant that many of these ingredients can now be found at Whole Foods or on the internet. Too bad they could not adapt to changing times by offering more grab and go items, internet preorders, etc. It’s a tough and fickle business to be in.
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@ Maya EV Washington DC
In my area, Whole Foods advertises items that their stores do not carry. A recent example: dehydrated scallops, not ever heard of. The price of their salmon eggs (red caviar), packed in small glass jars, is about five times more expensive per ounce that in another food store.
1
@ Tuvw xyz
I think you may have confused “dry” scallops with “dried” or “dehydrated” scallops. Dry scallops are indeed sold by Whole Foods and refer to scallops that are not soaked in phosphates (a chemical preservative) that extends their edible life but ruins the texture and taste. These dry scallops are sold in the regular fresh fish area under cold temps. Dried or dehydrated scallops are scallops that are located in a grocery aisle and are completely shelf stable, completely dried out, etc. They would typically be found in an Asian market and not a typical grocery store or even Whole Foods or Dean&Deluca. They are actually very expensive and are used more as a flavoring agent given their briny and pungent taste.
12
The current SoHo location did not open in 1977. The original store was on Prince Street. It was authentic and one of a kind. Before all the glitz and superficiality.
26
Right. And its move to Broadway and Prince was the beginning of the end of many mom and pop shops between Houston and Canal. Landlords started increasing rents to attract national and international retail stores. I'll never forget the tears in the eyes of the people who ran the Korean market at Broadway and Spring on their last day after more than a decade in business -- the spot became a sneaker store. Perhaps harsh to say, but I'm not crying for Dean & DeLuca.
15
@Jay Yes, the Prince Street location was the original and "it was authentic and one of a kind." But so was the D&D on Broadway one of a kind in its day. But now it's not. Which is why it's going away.
2
Aa, too bad! I was hoping it would not come to that. I hope this institution (however expensive) will find its way back to SoHo.
4
I sympathize with the New York City gourmets the closure of Dean & DeLuca. Each City should have a good food-specialty and delicatessen store witin a reasonable driving radius. In Chicago, there are at present none left, but there is one in the NW suburbs, with an eclectic selection of meats of various mammals and black caviars, the prices of which put my wife in a nerve crisis after I dare to buy a sampling.
There is an outfit in NYC, "d'Artagnan", that ships. But it is expensive and, once one orders from them, they keep bombarding the client with email ads.
3