Photo: QueensPost
March 27, 2012 Staff Report
Foodtown on Greenpoint Avenue is likely to close in the next few months.
The landlord of the 41-25 Greenpoint Ave. property is searching for a new tenant beginning Oct. 1, according to the listing below.
The manager of the Foodtown’s Greenpoint Ave. location said he knew nothing about any impending closure– nor did any of the store’s employees.
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Proximity to Dense Mid Rise Residential & Park
- 41-25 Greenpoint Avenue, Long Island City, Queens
- Intersection: Greenpoint Avenue and 41st Street
- Available October 2012
- Up to 11,200 square feet available for lease (Divisible)
- Located between the LIE and Queens Boulevard on Greenpoint Ave
- 3 blocks south of 7 Line subway stop carrying 3M riders annually
- Up to 5 Parking Spaces
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Do the people hoping for a Trader Joe’s realize what that would do to our rents?? Please, NO!!
So just heard today the store is closing in two weeks… There are no new shipments coming in, all the meat and vegetables are gone. I live on 39th Street and Greenpoint, so along with everybody south of the store that uses Foodtown since it’s the closest supermarket, our lives just got more difficult. Associated is now the closest market and since their renovation they’ve upped their prices, including charging for plastic bags. I am not happy with the situation. Apparently the same landlord owns the five vacant storefronts across the street as well that have sat empty for years. Not sure what the plan is. Is it possible that they want the whole strip vacant for some large development project? I hope whatever it is they are planning, they already have the financing and we won’t have empty storefronts for too long. Gonna miss Gus at the Deli….
Yep,it’s closing.A cashier asked if I wanted to use my points for an item.She said the store is closing within 3 weeks & it would be a good idea to use up my points.The few times I went into Associated I thought it was mandatory to speak Spanish.I shopped in FT for 13 years & thought it was a good supermarket.With the exception of a bad encounter with one cashier,I found the staff to be friendly & helpful.The older gent who works the deli is always cheerful.I feel for the staff,who have to find work in this tough economy.Please God,not another 99 cent store.
It’s official. It’s closing in three weeks, a little before Christmas. I was in the store this evening at 5:36, 11/28/12. Employees just found out. The shelves were already a quarter empty. One employee told me that they were offered 18/hour per week jobs at other Foodtowns and therefore could not collect unemployment. I’ll bet, because of Obamacare, they won’t be hiring full time at Foodtown any time soon.
Whoever this idiot who calls himself Anonymous on here is, is a 100% jerk. Foodtown by far is the best grocery store in the hood. There are just 2-3 morons that work there, but everyone else is super. Associated has the worst customer service in the area by far and hardly any of them understand or speak english. I have never seen anything like what Anonymous mentions in his post. I hope Foodtown survives and if it doesn’t well then say hello to yet another eyesore in lovely Sunnyside. Landlords suck!!!
Considering that we have two other full service grocery stores within a few blocks (Associated and Key) and the Stop ‘n’ Shop is a five minute walk up 48th Street, and the proliferation of corner stores, what difference is this going to make?
This neighborhood is so over-saturated with grocery stores that there are plenty of other options.
There are quite a few things I would like to point out about this article. After doing my own little investigation ( speaking too cashiers/employees) I have come to the conclusion that the store is going to stay open and that it is just a rent dispute. On the other hand there are also quite a few health code violations going on in the store. Those being the fact that there are roaches/ rats walking around the store and also the face that they don’t seem to care about people brining their pets in. You also must accept the fact that most of their cashiers are rude and lazy. There hasn’t been A time where I walked in and haven’t seen one of the younger cashiers on their phones. Not to mention the fact that some of them will even ring you up with their cellphone in hand. The managers don’t seem to care at all and just go about bsing you with a fake smile on their face. There is also the deli. The short gentleman who usually works there is gaily nice but I must say none of them know how to cut cold cuts. I always get half slices or thick chunks that are never good for a decent sandwich. I think if the store were to stay open they should fire the lazy cashiers and enforce a stricter policy of politeness and courtesy to the customers. Above all clean up the darn store… It’s distressing to check out on the express lane and see roaches run across your items.
the way i see it we need to look at our location and CAPITALIZE! Thats why i’m thinking Foodtown should be turned into the outer boroughs’ largest casket factory. Calvary is up the block and there’s people dropping off every day. Build em, fill em, roll em up the block. Let’s keep our dollars in Sunnyside! Come on JVB, a U-NEED-A-CASKET factory. One sweet FINAL ride made with pride right here in Sunnyside. Man, that sounds like a bumper sticker!
@krissi…you must not have been to orchard lately…its not the same owners and it looks like crap now….and quite honestly….I find that foodtown is cheaper than the other stores since they all renovated they seem to have raised their priceds to compensate
Am I the only one who thinks that Foodtown is pretty grungy? And lacking?
When I first went there a few months ago (I just happen to be on the block) I could foresee that this would close – particularly in comparison to the renovated Key Food and Associated and higher end Orchard.
I protest that that block is a “ghost town”. The businesses from the laundromat to Thalia Spanish Theatre to the candy store to the barber shop to Marabella’s and around the corner on 41st Street are all alive and well and would love your business.
Using a wine bottle or “almost any other round object” in lieu of a rolling pin is a very low standard. That would be acceptable as an emergency. The point is Sunnyside is antiquated. Great location but antiquated. Shopping choices are below standard, maybe not below YOUR standards.
Upon further reflection on your comment I believe I will select a 2 liter bottle to perform the needed tasks.
You can use a wine bottle or almost any other round object as a rolling pin. No need to demolish South Pole or any other building to fix your problem.
I followed through on the TJ location request. Would love that but too good to be true.
Speaking of Sunnyside businesses and things we’d like to see instead: how about demolishing South Poll and putting up a WalMart. I’m sorry but small businesses get no sympathy from me if I can’t find a rolling pin. Sunnyside does not have rolling pins. There’s something else too I was looking for a long time ago – probably shower curtain rings. We don’t have those either. Anyway, I’m tired of all these ghetto-looking stores. This is 2012. We live in the future now! C’mon!!!
@mostly sane
41-25 greenpoint ave is foodtown’s address…..
bull shit everything is lie
whoa WHOA slow down people, they are talking about 41st street, Foodtown is at the corner of 42nd, plus there are 0 parking spaces, not 5.
They may be talking about the old “Liberty” place across the street.
They manager at Foodtown didn’t know about this, something ain’t right!
I’d suspect sloppy journalism before believing this.
i too work at this foodtown and i share your plight “Unknown”, it ain’t easy out there, and i’m trying to seek a job as a driver which hasn’t been working out so well. it’s atrocious how these people can put our jobs at risk without hesitation for a couple of extra bucks.
btw who are you? i’m in the deli, and i don’t know anyone besides a couple of people at ft who are able to write as proficiently as you do
There is liberal agenda here? It is all Obuma’s fault. His unfair taxation of small businesses is killing jobs everywhere. It is all Obuma’s fault. This is why fuel prices are so high.
It is all O’bumas fault
No!! It would be a real shame to see this close– it’s so convenient having a grocery store so close by to my apartment.
I will say though, I don’t buy any meat or fish here since it always looks somewhat questionable, so a higher end grocery store could be nice to have in the neighborhood.
“Unknown,” I sympathize with your plight, but must you use the “s” word in your postings? If you do lose your job, I suggest that you apply for one at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in mid-town Manhattan.
@JK Wilson
Clearly the federal government needs to take over the supermarket and food industry. It’s a basic necessity right, just like health care?
Ted appreciates competition because he understands that when businesses compete, services improve, and prices come down. Are you sure you’re not a Republican, Ted?
I would be really sorry to see Foodtown go – the employees there seem nice enough to me, and the more competition there is, the better it is for all of us.
A Trader Joes WOULD be nice, but at least in Manhattan, they seem to like for Whole Foods stores to become established in a neighborhood and then move in to try and poach off some of their clients. In other words, Trader Joes don’t seem like they’re into being ‘pioneers’ in non-affluent areas.
In addition to Foodtown the Pathmark on Northern Blvd. seems to be in pretty bad shape too (as some may know their parent company (I think A&P) has filed for bankruptcy). While the employees there DO seem to have a pretty bad attitude, I would be sorry to see it go too – again because it would mean less competition.
Thank you Jon, now I know how you feel. Sorry to interrupt the thread, please go on with the comments. Have a great day!
Maybe the franchise is in trouble? Or the franchise is pulling the rights for that location because of failure to meet franchise requirements? Or the owner just doesn’t want to be in business anymore? Everyone is quick to blame the landlord, but many other factors could be in play here.
I would also like to add that the inventory problems are caused by one and one person only: the assistant manager.
I can assure you that he is an incompetent, childish, and passive aggressive, and the store would do much better without his presence. Anyone working there will tell you the same.
I am an employee at this FoodTown location.
My hourly wage is barely above minimum, and I live paycheck to paycheck struggling to pay my bills on time. I have been looking for another job for what seems like a year with no success.
While some of my co-workers are “nasty high schoolers” who really don’t give a shit, some of us actually depend on this job because we have nothing else. We don’t depend on our parents and we live on our own.
This may be scare tactics by the landlord to force the current tenant (us) to pay more, or maybe he simply doesn’t want us there anymore. Whatever the case may be, it’s truly despicable and demonstrates how greedy the people in this country are when we’re at our lowest and barely surviving.
tl;dr : The landlord doesn’t give a shit about the employees and I doubt FoodTown’s owner gives any kind of shit otherwise these negotiations would have already ended and and the lease would have been extended for a few more years.
That part of Greenpoint Ave is an economic dead zone. If Foodtown goes, it might take the remaining businesses with it. I don’t see any new tenants rushing in to set up shop there. That’s why I think it will be redeveloped as some sort of tall structure, stealing yet more of the sky.
Here is the response I received from Trader Joe’s.
Aloha and thank you for your interest in our stores. Emails have been flooding in with suggestions for new store locations in neighborhoods all over the U.S. We love that!
Rest assured, every email is read and your recommendation will be passed along to our real estate folks.
The best place to find new info concerning which neighborhoods we’ll be in next is the Trader Joe’s Locations page at http://www.traderjoes.com/static/find_a_tjs.asp
We hope to see you soon!
Mahalo (thanks)
MA, great idea. I just send them an email.
If you would like to suggest the site to Trader Joe’s, here’s the web address to do that. The more people ask, the more likely it will be.
http://www.traderjoes.com/about/location-requests-form.asp
How about a Nita’s European Bakery Super Store?
Pity.. It’s probably my favorite supermarket in the area (most convenient for me as well)… but I NEVER buy produce there. But it does have the nicest staff. A “thank you” at the checkout, a “how may I help you?” at the deli counter. Something I’ve not seen at Associated or Key Food.
But if you can tell me a Trader Joe’s could take its place, it would make Greenpoint Avenue a destination and could revitalize all the dead stores and restaurants across the street. I knew Sunrise wasn’t going to make it, even though I went there somewhat regularly. We shall wait and see.
Celticparker nailed it. They are the best and the worst. A Trader Joe’s would be nice though.
@CelticParker hit the nail on the head – I go to Foodtown because it’s convenient but agree there was always something sketchy about the food they think is suitable for sale. Moldy strawberries right out front facing the aisles, zucchinis that are mush as soon as you pick them up, I pick from the navel oranges section only to discover they’ve sold me blood oranges, and when I buy pickles there, they are 1 month away from expiring (if not closer) 10 times out of 10. I have always thought their inventory was disgraceful, and have opted to buy produce at the neighborhood vegetable stands instead of their disgusting (overpriced!) spread, but have frequented Foodtown for almost all my other groceries because it is just down the block and the convenience trumps everything else. It is a shame that jobs will be lost and that the landlord is being so greedy in this economy but also know I won’t miss the nasty high schoolers ringing me up each week or not helping me while they’re stocking the aisles right next to me. Can only hope we will be lucky enough to get a Trader Joe’s!!! It would be great for the neighborhood, especially that block of Greenpoint and they ONLY hire nice people to work there. One can hope…
Guess it’s time to cash in our accumulated S&H Greenpoints before the store closes. I don’t know of any other merchants in this area of Queens that honor them.
Very disappointing. That area has been crippled by greedy landlords and will now be even more of a ghost town. It’s a RECESSION, I don’t understand why they think they can get higher rents???
(Noticed there’s another person posting with same first name).
What’s wrong with this picture that a supermarket may go out of business? I find that really odd–this is something that is really necessary and even some duplication in a neighborhood isn’t ridiculous.
BUT…could it pave the way for a Trader Joe’s? Can we hope? Are Trader Joe’s stores as good as I hear they are? I’m not advocating for a Whole Foods only because my limited experience indicates they have higher prices and therefore may not be suited for Sunnyside.
in all the 16 years i’ve lived in the neighborhood, i’ve never gone into this supermarket. sucks that it’s closing down.
Wow, that area is going to be completely dead. Not one new business has survived in that area. The person who owns the property should drive down to see how bad it is there and try to negotiate some sort of deal to keep Foodtown. It’s 3 times as big as the other empty stores across the street. It would probably take a long time to try and rent their space.
Maybe they could bring back the A&P like the old days
While I hate the thought of people’s being unemployed and don’t want to see a huge empty storefront, I can’t really shed too many tears over Foodtown. It has always seemed to me that there is some sort of inventory-control problem there. For years I noticed odd shortages of certain items, which they just never seemed to be able to keep in stock (Diet Coke was a big one). And Foodtown is a world champion at keeping expired items on the shelves, and of stocking items so that expired items are always closest to the front. Not to mention another oddity: one day there is almost none of a particular item (I’ve noticed this with Entenmann’s), and the next day the item is fully stocked with soon-to-expire packages. Most of the employees are really nice, but there is one in particular who has real attitude and hasn’t been afraid to let it loose. If the competition from Associated and FreshMarket has played a role here, well, that’s just the way it is. But I’ll take Foodtown any day over another $.99 store, pharmacy, Thai restaurant, bank, cell-phone store, or pawn shop.
No doubt some high rise monstrosity will go up in its place.
Wow, that area is going to be completely dead. Not one new business has survived in that area. The person who owns the property should drive down to see how bad it is there and try to negotiate some sort of deal to keep foodtown. Its 3 times as big as the other empty stores across the street. It would probably take a long time to try and rent their space.
Let’s pray that this is just part of negotiations for a new lease. Such extreme “scare” tactics are often used by landlords. But business at Foodtown does seem to have declined since the renovations at rival Associated and Key Food supermarkets. FT seems to be a bit more than “old-fashioned” in comparison.
What a shame for the staff. They are by far the nicest checkout girls and guys around.
That’s terrible!!! Foodtown is my favorite grocery store in the neighborhood.
Damn, that will mean more crowding in Associates. If it were me associates, I would grab it to avoid competition in the area.. Oh for those who are afraid it would be another 99c, if a supermarket like foodtown cannot survive there (no matter what the reason is) what makes you think 99c store will.
A super cool large restaurant would be a great addition to the neighborhood. Something fancy. Or how about turning the 12k sqf into a divided shopping strip, you walk in and it has tons of small stores, with some downstairs.
Or better yet, some developer can just grab and build something nice. Wasn’t there a new zoning in the area that allowed larger buildings on the ave?
No!!!! BEst grocery store in the nabe by far!
Well doesn’t this suck! Been shopping here for years and years. Greedy landlords!! I can imagine what will take its place! Probably another 99 cent store or worse!
Another vacant storefront to look at. Aren’t there enough ??