Baby Nat's Fruitland
Caribbean and Latin foods came to be a focus for the business, as demographics in the neighborhood shifted in that direction.
Tomorrow, we're headed a couple blocks northwest to check out a building I suspect once housed a grocery store.
Open: 1970s - 2023
Owner: Darlene Etienne
Previous Tenants: unknown
Cooperative: none
Location: 606 American Legion Hwy, Roslindale, MA
Photographed: July 28, 2019 and May 20, 2022
Happy Monday! Just across the street from where we saw the Roslindale Price Rite (formerly Save-A-Lot) is this longtime independent produce market, called Baby Nat's Fruitland. It opened up shop in the 7100 square foot building in the 1970s, eventually going out of business when the owner retired in 2023. That article has a lot of great history on the store, including the origin of the name -- Darlene Natorelli, the owner's daughter (and later the owner), was nicknamed Baby Nat.
The store was mostly produce, but there were also some groceries off to the left side of the building.
And although Baby Nat's has closed, another independent grocer has occupied the space. Brother's Supermarket, a local chain with three locations in Dorchester, acquired the business in 2023. Although an exterior remodel is still in progress, the interior has been rearranged to be a complete supermarket rather than a produce market. You can check out Brother's here.
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