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Seen & Heard: Best Market Confirmed
••• Best Market papered the windows of the former Food Emporium space, so the rumor of the deal falling through appears to have been unfounded. Why Best Market wouldn’t confirm it is kind of weird, though. Also odd: The only mention of Best Market in all that new signage is a small help-wanted poster.
••• If you were hoping that something was happening behind the papered windows in the rest of the Independence Plaza North storefronts, hope again: The former Peace & Love space, at least, is as empty as it’s been for months.
••• Still no sign of work inside the City Vineyard restaurant at Pier 26.
••• Muse Paintbar, in the former Telepan Local space, says it’s opening today. Full report to follow.
••• Baked is having a holiday market today.
••• Press release from Axel Audio: “We are a start-up audio tech company and launched our first line of modular headphones early November. We’ve created a customizable headphone for listeners to personalize the way they look as well as the way they sound. To showcase our headphones, we have teamed up with a few Brooklyn based artists to create an immersive holiday pop-up shop where people can view artwork as well as shop for unique holiday gifts all at the same time!” Here’s the info:
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Thank goodness we are getting the Best Super Market. The landlord of the complex is a disgrace. There are seniors in the area that can not afford to go to Wholefood or travel outside the city for food.
No offence, but expecting your landlord to subsidize your grocery bill is a bit unrealistic.
I don’t mean to come off as calous or harsh, but the city ebbs and flows, and sometimes people are forced to relocate. While people should always be kind and understanding to oneanother, nobody should expect the good will of others to sustain their lifestyle in any manner.
Where did TriBeCa Original say the landlord should “subsidize (his) grocery bill”? Nowhere. I think TO was saying it sucks that some people (perhaps including him/her) who can’t afford Whole Foods and/or go out of the area/city to shop for groceries don’t have an affordable, accessible place to shop for their groceries right now. He never said the building owner should provide these people discounts or subsidies on groceries, that’s your hate the people with less/fare less money than you nonsense. Thankfully these people and everyone will have an affordable, accessible place in Best Market ASAP :)
I’ve wondered if the landlord wanted the Food Emp site empty as a way to drive out the existing IP tenants.
I think they did. What better way to drive out non-market rate tenants especially elderly and/or low income ones than to take away where most if not all of them (can afford to) shop for groceries? Use A&P’s Chapter 11 filing as a shield against people saying you threw them out before or after hearing the news. I bet building ownership said get out before or immediately after the news of the C11.
Best Market is moving in because building ownership saw the backlash and outrage over no national brand names-selling, non-Whole Foods supermarket in the complex. I’m also fairly certain they lost x amount of market rate renters and prospective ones because who wants to pay $4000 or more a month on an apartment where you have to walk four blocks roundtrip to Whole Foods, WF is the only big/ger supermarket within reasonable walking distance, and you have to take a bus, a subway train, or a taxicab, drive, or cross the Hudson to get a less expensive box of Cheerios or jar of Jif?
They’re charging $6,000 for the newly renovated places. At least, that’s what my new neighbors are paying. They’ve allowed four young women to come in, put up walls, and divide the apartment up. This is the exact thing they did in my old FiDi apartment building, bringing in college students who’s parents will play high rents to stuff in the apartments, which is why I ultimately left. I really hope that doesn’t happen here too.
It’s highly unlikely that a landlord would want to drive out a supermarket. Regardless of whether it’s a Whole Foods or a Food Emporium, having a market nearby is one of the biggest selling points for any type of housing, market rate or not.
I have to reply to this as well, but from a different perspective. To say one can’t afford to shop at Whole Foods, but could afford Food Emporium is just off, somehow. I won’t say it’s disingenuous, but if one really looks at the costs involved, one can shop reasonably at WFM. Prices for the chain are set nationwide, and most of the nation pays far less for grocery items than we tend to in Manhattan. WFM’s store brands are generally cheaper than supermarket brands and of a higher quality than, say, Food Emporium’s “America’s Choice” brand. There are sales on fruit and vegetable items every day. Chicken is as cheap or cheaper at WFM than it was at FE, and purportedly of better quality. For household goods it is true that WFM is often not as competitive, but it’s not that greatly off the mark. The Key Food on Fulton St. is far for many, but has terrific bargains. Trust me, one can still live in this neighborhood on a modest or erratic income – many do. I don’t know anything about Best Market, but my first-blush take on it is that it won’t be a bargain paradise.
David G. Imber is right (and, to note, his post have a pattern of being the most well informed). Peanut butter, almonds, kalamata olives, basic cheddar, etc., etc., etc. are a really good deal at WF when you buy the store brand. I use to compare WF prices to FE prices when I first moved here and WFs was the clear winner for basics.
Completely agree. I always found Food Emporium to be as expensive as Whole Foods.
I totally agree. And national brands, like Fage Greek yogurt are always on sale. My kids eat a lot of it and it was always 5 for $5 at WFM and about $1.70 at FE.
It’s also a little bit of a conspiracy theory to assume that the landlord had a say over the supermarket closures related to A&P’s bankruptcy. I’m sure the lease was sold because it was a long-term lease at below market and A&P knew it would be attractive in bankruptcy proceedings, but not to drive out lower income tenants in the apartment building.
Unfortunately, FE was dirty, poorly run, and pretty pricey relative to WFM. I have lost hours of my life waiting in the one or two open checkouts when the market clearly had about 5 checkout lanes. Quality, hygiene, efficiency and value were not FE’s strengths.
Food Emporium was owned by A&P which field for chapter 11 twice in the last five years. I can’t speak to the disgracefulness of the owner of the plaza, but you certainly can’t blame them for the closure of that Food Emporium.
But lately it’s the cool thing to just blame landlords, gentrification or the police for anything that goes wrong in anyone’s life.
It’s also cool to be a paid (or in your case unpaid) shill for landlords and a gentrification gent/gal like you are.
Oh yeah, I forgot that one. Anyone that disagrees with you isn’t allowed to have their own opinion. Instead they’re called shills and sheep. Thanks for reminding me why I find people like you so annoying.
Are you suggesting that a landlord should willingly subsidize people who otherwise couldn’t afford to be there, in an effort to curb gentrification? Why is it that the landlord’s responsibility?
The “originals” are just as entitled as the “newcomers” around here.
It’s been a real hassle shopping since the Food Emporium closed so i was very happy to see those “teaser posters” plastering the front window as shown in your photo, Erik….
For me, it was confirmed when i saw the brand new banner ad on the Best Market website stating “Now Hiring” for all their newly purchased locations INCLUDING TRIBECA.
I knew that information from the Duane Reade manager was inaccurate since the VP of Best Market’s store operations confirmed it to me two weeks ago…
As far as the management here in IPN, yeah they are $ hunger and don’t really care about the tenants,. However i did read elsewhere that they had commented a few weeks ago that they were hoping another supermarket would move in (after all, it’s a great “selling point” when new potential market rate tenants look at apartments.
Regarding another comment, It isn’t that Whole Foods is more expensive, it’s that a lot of us don’t go for the so called “healthy” (i call it “yuppie” food…lol)…Give me the old fashioned NATIONAL BRAND NAMES like the Best Market will carry…Thank you very much…
Looks like best market is coming sooner rather than later . Saw them loading in some groceries this morning.
a few points:
the owners of ipn, vornado and gluck, can be blamed for a lot of things but the demise of the food emporium is not one of them.
best market looks promising but it’s not going to be cheap. they will have to pay tribeca rents and will no doubt charge tribeca prices.
if you can travel outside of the neighborhood, there are better and cheaper options. if you have access to a car, fairway on the west side highway at 125th st. has free parking.
for the computer literate, amazon pantry and fresh direct are viable options. i hope to never have to go to a store to buy tp or paper towels again!
“they will have to pay tribeca rents and will no doubt charge tribeca prices.”
Exactly. Yet people will look for anybody to blame when their rent and groceries aren’t cheap.
It is a market. We made it this way.
I find Whole Foods price-wise to be comparable to the Food Emporium prices. Their meat is excellent and reasonable because they cut it to your order. They also have great prices on their 365 brand. And yes, I am a senior citizen (very senior as a matter of fact), on a fixed income and use a walker. My only complaint? I need my EggO Waffles and Whole Foods are terrible and taste like cardboard. So I go to Fulton Street via Access-A-Ride to get them and stock up. And as you all know that’s an all-day affair just to get my waffles! So welcome Best Market.
Best Market’s Tribeca Store is listed on their website as coming soon. It’s no longer a rumor! It will be open 7 days a week 7am to 10pm.
http://bestmarket.com/stores/tribeca/#.Vm7ZHErR-Uk
316 Greenwich Street
New York City, NY 10013
516-570-5300
7-10 7 days a week