SuperFresh
Opened: fall 2024
Nothing like a brand-new renovation at a store that's been in business for decades! Here at 1188 Flatbush, a supermarket has occupied the premises since at least the 1960s, when it was a Royal Farms. Royal Farms remained until 1979, when it became a Consumers Food. Consumers was here through at least 1985, and the store later became a CTown which converted to Food Universe in 2018. Starting in 2024, the store renovated extensively and doubled in size, and is now fully complete.
The expansion (see here for the latest in-progress coverage) added a large new room for produce and meat, and added a service seafood and deli department in the original supermarket.
With the expansion and renovation, the store feels much more like a suburban supermarket than your average Brooklyn urban store. It's around 20,000 square feet -- which is not enormous but on the bigger side for the neighborhood.
The new decor is very attractive, too, and sleek. The old decor was much more hodgepodge.
This expansion was completed when I visited last, but we'll see some changes in the original supermarket building.
The new fixtures are looking good, too. The renovation was very extensive, including the addition of a service butcher window, a service seafood counter, and a service deli. The Food Universe previously didn't have any service counters.
The expansion also has two aisles and a new customer service counter.
The new seafood counter is about halfway across the back wall of the store.
And the grocery aisles are all basically the same, although they've seen new flooring and lighting put in, and a fresh coat of paint on the ceiling.
But the refrigeration around the perimeter is new.
So are the freezer cases, in the second-to-last aisle. You can tell the aisles are narrower than your average suburban supermarket, but the space feels big.
Dairy and frozen also line the last aisle.
I haven't seen this decor package previously, and I don't believe it's in any other stores.
This is one of about three dozen SuperFresh stores run by Key Food, although of course each location is independently owned and operated.
The new deli counter is in the front-right corner, and there's also now a second entrance and exit over here, I believe. This area previously had freezer cases, but I suspect it's possible some past tenant of the building had a deli here. But the new setup makes the corner feel open and airy.
And a look across the front-end, with a complete redesign. Very different from the past look.
You can see how the store feels so much larger than it previously was (and rightfully so, given the very large increase in size). It's looking great and as usual I'm glad to see big investments being made in these old-school supermarket buildings.
Opened: fall 2024
Owner: Shee Chun Lee
Previous Tenants: Royal Farms (1960s-1979) > Consumers Food (1979-1980s) > CTown Supermarkets (closed 2018) > Food Universe Marketplace (2018-2024)
Cooperative: Key Food Stores
Location: 1188 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Photographed: June 20, 2025
But there's a few other stores to check out this weekend, including another SuperFresh! Here's the full list:
- Lincoln Market's stunning latest store in central Brooklyn
- The completed renovations at Brooklyn (this post) and Central Jersey SuperFresh stores
- Some more work ongoing at a North Jersey Kings
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