Natural & Fresh at 40-08 Queens Blvd. (Photo: Nathaly Pesantez)
Nov. 30, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
Natural & Fresh, the sizable grocery store along Queens Boulevard, has quietly closed.
The 40-08 Queens Blvd. store, with its lights shuttered and shelves still stocked with some products, appears to have closed two days ago, according to a neighboring store owner and social media posts.
The Pyramid Group, a property management company just around the corner from the supermarket, is handling the lease listing and already boasting about its potential—given Sunnyside’s proximity to the future Amazon headquarters in Long Island City.
The retail space, with a ground floor and basement each coming in at 3,000 square feet, has an asking rent price of $52 per square foot.
Natural & Fresh opened at the Queens Boulevard site in 2016, and was previously home to Superior Market/Beer World.
A retail leasing sign at the 40-08 Queens Blvd. site (Photo: Nathaly Pesantez)
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42 Comments
superior had an amazing beer selection and decent eastern euro groceries… natural fresh was half assed in all respects
WE NEED A WHOLE FOODS!…NOM NOM NOM
WE NEED A TRADER JOE’S MORE!!
Trader Joes! Trader Joes! Trader Joes or bust!!!
I wish it becomes a Urban Outfitters or a Panera Bread. The neighborhood needs more franchises to put Sunnyside on the map.
We’re already on the map- we have real restaurants and real bakeries. If you want crappy retail franchises, go to the mall.
We have franchises — there’s a subway on greenpoint. If you want an urban outfitters, the b24 takes you to Williamsburg. Maybe you’re just bitter because you can’t afford the rent in Brooklyn yet want brooklyn to move up here.
It’s kind of funny seeing all the people obviously commenting without reading the article. Or even the headline! “Touts” and “blames” do not mean the same thing.
Granted, the claim itself is also dubious as a selling point (you could have a storefront 2 miles from Amazon? Shrug.), but that’s a different topic. And how do you even discuss that with people who don’t even know what was said?
So, as of right now 13 people have downvoted me pointing out that you should read the article before commenting.
I wonder how many of them actually read my comment before downvoting.
This place was always empty. Never more than 3 customers in at one time. I bought 1 item there once because it was raining and i didnt want to walk 5 blocks the Fresh and save. The item was $2 more there than at Fresh and Save and the item was 8 bucks!
There are 3 bigger grocery stores on the southside. A grocery store is never gonna turn a profit there. I am actually surprised that 1 of the other 3 doesn’t close either. I can’t think of another walking neighborhood with a full grocery store every 2 blocks.
I noticed the bar 43 closed I think there was a Department of Health sign, Can we get some details as to what happened?
Bar 43’s twitter said something about plumbing repairs that have to be inspected by the DOH before than can reopen
Yes they got closed by the health Department
http://a816-restaurantinspection.nyc.gov/RestaurantInspection/SearchDetails.do
“Filth, flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies print in facility’s food and or non-food areas.”
Closed by the health department with 38 point violations.
Sounds like news to me! Sunnyside Post, where’s the article?
Nothing to do with Amazon. This place had no customer service. I knew they weren’t going to survive. They didn’t take the time out to acknowledge their customers. They had the same lousy adittude as the last owners plus they were way over priced. It’s a perfect location for a supermarket right off the train station just need to have a reasonable prices and friendly service.
Blame everything on Amazon, how convenient.
This is just the begining…Lokj st San FRANCISCO, and Redwood City…We will regret this TALE OF ONE CITY. RICH PEOPLE ONLY..Amazon you WON,WE LOSE..
Amazon is the best service anyone could ever get. Should I care about local businesses that overprize everything? NO. Why would I care for them? Do I want to spend more of my money or does anyone else want to? I hope NOT! You have to be an idiot to support those businesses. Let them close. We need to spend less, not more. Sorry mom and pop guys, but if a bigger business is willing to sell us things for less, we are going for it and you should consider reducing your prices or go bankrupt.
Nice try Mr. Landlord
I present Exhibit A of the “short view” on the economy.
Yes they will be less expensive until they put all the other alternatives out of business and then they jack the prices up. This its anti-competitive monopoly strategy 201. If you don’t prevent monopolies you will pay much more later on. I agree with you about service and price, but what will happen when there is no choice anymore? You will be doomed to eat your words.
Any examples from the past? Did you experience jacking up prices? Name one.
Read the comments from people that tried to shop in this store. It is not Amazon’s fault that this store was a complete $hitshow. The service sucked, the attitude sucked and the prices were way to high compared to the numerous othe markets in walking distance to this store. Blame Amazon for every dump that goes out of business, grow up folks.
No one said it was Amazon’s fault. Read the comments again! The article mentions that the landlord is advertising this property as in Amazon’s neighborhood. That’s the only connection between this property and Amazon.
They washed all the money they had to. You guys DO know Sunnyside has a ton of Laundering and Mafia within it right?
You guys know what money laundering looks like right ???
Place was totally overpriced. Went in there once and never returned. Another Starbucks probably!
I was sorry when Superior closed; this was not an improvement. Not surprised by its demise at all: I looked around when it opened, but there was never a reason to go there.
Me too. Their beer selection was fabulous.
I’m guessing another duane reade/riteaid/CVS or chase/BOA/Citi at astronomical rents.
I imagine it was an expensive location for a supermarket.
“already boasting about its potential” Potential for what? A strip club for Amazon hipsters?
I can’t believe Pyramid group isn’t shut down yet. No real estate license, claim to be “advisers”, horrible reviews, total con.
Definitely a slimy vibe coming from the Pyramid Group brokers… the bar is so low for these types.
High prices,lousy service doomed them
I doubt very much it has anything to do with Amazon – just raising of the rents.
I’m thinking the rents are going up in part because of the Amazon news. Sure, they’re going up already, but I figure those tax-dodging, union-busting, monopoly-building corporate welfare recipients will be putting upward pressure on rents even more now.
You forgot trust fund babies. Same letter over and over.
Many people living around here purchased a co-op or a condo and do not rent. You are focused on a few aspects of Amazon building an HQ here, just the negative ones. Remember, corporations have a long and extensive history of trying to avoid paying taxes and to single out Amazon is unfair but so easy for the unaware. Union-busting has been going on for a LONG time, long before Amazon. Rents have been rising around quickly, along with property values, for quite some time, long before amazon announced its decision. Who were you blaming then? I bet many of those who oppose this are actually long-time customers of Amazon and would be embarrassed if we could see their shopping history.
For the record, I shop Amazon almost exclusively and I’m thrilled that they’re coming to western Queens. I love what’s happened to LIC since I moved here in ’96 and I’m glad I invested in real estate by purchasing a co-op and not paying rent to a landlord.
and how! many co-op owners are looking forward to becoming instant multi-millionaires overnight when home prices skyrocket in the area. who wouldn’t sell their one or two or even three apartments and go live somewhere nice? the sacrifice and struggle of surviving in this mess of a city is finally paying off.
Businesses have been complaining about astronomical rent increases along Queens Boulevard for several years, long before Amazon announced.