Foodtown - Queens, NY (Jamaica/Parsons)

Foodtown

Opened: 2013

Owner: Jason Ferreira

Previous Tenants: King Kullen (mid-1930s - 1980s) > CTown (1985-1988) > Key Food (opened 1988) > Met Foodmarkets (ca. 1990s - 2013)

Cooperative: Allegiance Retail Services

Location: 84-05 Parsons Blvd, Queens, NY

Photographed: December 19, 2019 and September 11, 2026

Before we begin, just a heads up: this was originally posted in February 2020, but was rewritten with new photos in September 2026. Now for the post! King Kullen might be most closely associated with Long Island -- it's where all of their stores are these days -- but the chain actually started here in Jamaica, Queens back in 1930. By 1936, they had a store on this property on Parsons Boulevard. Over the years, it was expanded to its present 12,000 square foot size, and King Kullen actually remained here until all the way into the 1980s. In 1985, CTown had taken over the store, becoming Key Food three years later and Met Foodmarkets owned by the Ferreira family by the late 1990s or so. Then, in 2013, the Ferreiras' stores left Met and joined Foodtown. Today, the Ferreiras have one other location in Jamaica (also a former King Kullen) and one in Jackson Heights.

Produce is in the first aisle on the right side of the store, with deli in the back-right corner. Meat lines the back wall, with dairy in the last aisle on the left side and frozen in the front-left corner.

I've actually included some of my original 2019 pictures in this updated blog post alongside my new ones from 2026. Not much has changed, and though the store is very dated, it's been kept clean and well-maintained.

One minor change: It looks like this row of meat refrigerators was replaced recently.

Ferreira previously had two additional locations on Long Island, both of which have closed.

Because of the angled back side wall of the store, the last aisle splits into two at the front.

The small frozen foods department is up in the front-left corner of the store, with two very short freezer aisles running perpendicular to the rest of the grocery aisles.

The other two Ferreira stores are similarly old-school but also in good shape these days. And the owner, Jason Ferreira, is now the CEO of Allegiance -- the cooperative that represents Foodtown and other independent supermarkets.

That's about all for this store here in Jamaica! You can see more supermarkets in Jamaica here.

This post was rewritten on September 13, 2026 with new photos.