The Market Report

Food Universe Marketplace Opened:  November 2025 Owner:  Charles In Park Previous Tenants: SS Kresge (1970s) > Fal-Mart Pharmacy (1980s) > Rite Aid (closed 2018) > Walgreens (2018-2023) Cooperative: Key Food Stores Location: 1559 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  December 1, 2025 The Food Universe at Flatbush Junction has opened, after extensively renovating a former Rite Aid . Although there have been several different stores in this space in its history, Food Universe appears to be the first supermarket. The store is around 10,000 square feet -- small but a bit larger than I thought it was originally. I don't know whether Food Universe expanded out the back or a previous tenant had the same layout, but the Food Universe is essentially in two parts. You walk into the grand aisle, which takes up the front half of the store. The registers are on the front wall, with sushi, deli/bakery, hot food, and seafood lining the left side walls. Produce is in the cen...

Key Food Supermarkets Opened: summer 2025 Owner:  Maher Othman Previous Tenants:  assorted non-grocery tenants Cooperative:  Key Food Stores Location:  780-784 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  September 19, 2025 What store is this? Well, from the above picture, you'd have almost no idea. This is the brand-new Key Food on Flatbush Avenue in Flatbush, which moved within the last few months from a neighboring storefront at 786 Flatbush to a former dollar store at 780-784 Flatbush. The previous store, which was rather old by the time it closed, was just 5100 square feet while the new one is slightly larger at 7000 square feet. Produce is up at the front of the store on the right side, with cold cuts in the rest of the first aisle. Meats line the back wall with dairy and frozen in the last aisle. Like the old store, no service departments here. Another Key Food owner did exactly this up in the Bronx -- moved from an old location into a new space immediate...

Food Universe Marketplace Opening: November 2025 Owner:  unknown Previous Tenants:  SS Kresge (1970s) > Fal-Mart Pharmacy (1980s) > Rite Aid (closed 2018) > Walgreens (2018-2023) Cooperative:  Key Food Stores Location:  1559 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  September 19, 2025 One more Brooklyn store in progress, this one also a former Rite Aid. It looks like this building was never a supermarket, but instead a discount store and drugstore. Rite Aid sold here to Walgreens in 2018, and Walgreens closed in 2023. Now, the tiny store of just about 5500 square feet is being prepared to become a Food Universe, opening next month according to these signs posted on the front. The recognizable Rite Aid facade has been removed and is in the process of getting a facelift. There's a Target and an ALDI across the street, and a Fine Fare about two blocks northwest on Flatbush Avenue. The Fine Fare isn't that big either, but appears to be around 8000 square...

SuperFresh 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 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 supermark...