Is Best Market Closing?

best-market“Hate to break the news to you,” texted a tipster. “I heard Best Market is closing. The lady when I was checking out yesterday told me they were. Two people in Independence Plaza told me the same.” [Note: See update below!] I went over to the store—had to pick up some minis of Schweppes tonic water anyway, since gin-and-tonic season is never going to end—and asked the cashier who checked me out. “What?!” she said, which seemed answer enough. But then she turned and asked a colleague. “We don’t know that,” was the reply. “We don’t know that for sure.”

In sum, we’re still deep in Rumorville. But given three factors, it wouldn’t surprise me at all: 1) There has been a whiff of temporariness about the store since it opened last February, as if the company was testing the location out; 2) that’s one of the crueler sidewalk sheds ever seen around here; 3) Target.

Best Market has never been easy to get info out of at the corporate level, but I’ll try calling in the morning.

UPDATE 10/18: “Don’t believe the rumors,” says Best Market VP Jonathan Sender. “We are not closing the store. Open for business as usual!”

 

13 Comments

  1. It’s Hillary Clinton’s fault. Or Billy Bush’s.

  2. Target feels like an even more temporary setup than Best Market.

  3. Oh no. Best Market wasn’t perfect — it didn’t even sell Advil! — but I did go there for certain items. As it is, I have to go to Whole Foods, Best Market and Amish Market to get my supplies (and sometimes even the rat infested Reade Street deli (look at the corners of the cereal boxes!). It would be nice to have a regular, decent grocery store to get everything in one location. A pipe dream, I know.

    • Have you tried the Key Food downstairs from the 55 Fulton Street market? It’s a bit of a schlep, but it’s a regular, old-fashioned supermarket with everything you’d want, great prices, discount coupons, membership card, etc.

  4. I went the other evening at around 6 and there were only 2 cashiers working — and two extremely long lines. I asked why more lines weren’t open and a managerial type told me to complain to corporate because they had cut back on cashiers. That doesn’t sound like a huge vote of confidence! I haven’t set foot in Whole Foods since Best opened and I sincerely hope they stick around. I bought a quart of milk in Target last week while I was checking it out and they charged $1 more than I pay for the same brand at Best. And all of the produce at Target was really eccch.

  5. I would be so very disappointed if this is true. If you like Best Market (as we do) please patronize the store as much as you can. I think they have a great variety of goods, and their prices are refreshingly reasonable- much better than Target. It is a shame that the store is buried under all that scaffolding — people probably don’t even know it exists. Tribeca needs this very affordable market.

  6. Best Market is fantastic. Stop by for lunch one day. Sandwiches and sushi are very reasonable. Meat section is very affordable. Lots of sales. Pleasant surprise.

  7. I fear Best Market will close as sometimes it just seems no one is the near! But I frequent the market and hope it doesn’t. Target is a real threat.

  8. say it ain’t so!! i agree with everything above! they are not perfect, but prices are reasonable and lines are a LOT shorter than whole foods!

  9. I am told they are closing their hartsdale store in Westchester. apparently its a money issue? store is not restocked and hours and employees have been cut. sad.

  10. As of today, they’re closed.

Comment: