The Market Report

Shop Fair Supermarkets Opened: April 2026 Owner: June Hyung Kil Previous Tenants: Met Foodmarkets (open by 1978, closed 2014) > Food Universe Marketplace (2014-2025) Cooperative: Retail Grocers Group/General Trading Location: 117-01 Liberty Ave, Queens, NY Photographed: May 29, 2026 Time for another New York City grand opening! This one's small, just about 6300 square feet (there's also likely a basement), but it's continuously been operating as a supermarket since at least the late 1970s -- that is, until the previous tenant here closed in early 2025. More on that soon. When the previous Food Universe here closed, the space was gutted and fully renovated to reopen as a Shop Fair. As you can see from the picture above, the signage wasn't quite completed yet. As is the case in so many congested New York neighborhoods -- and especially common here in South Richmond Hill -- a lot of the produce department spills out onto the sidewalk to entice passers-by and to ex...

Shop Fair Supermarkets Opened: October 2025 Owner:  Anibal Rodriguez Previous Tenants:  Food City (open in 1978) > Rite Aid Cooperative:  Retail Grocers Group Location:  1518 Westchester Ave, Bronx, NY Photographed:  October 29, 2025 Add it to the list: here's yet another New York City supermarket that has set up shop in a former drugstore! This former Rite Aid in the Soundview section of the Bronx is now the latest Shop Fair, just 9500 square feet. And like many of these other drugstores, this store was originally a supermarket. I don't have a full picture of its history, but one article I could find confirmed that it was a Food City in 1978. Rite Aid closed in 2023 or early 2024. This new Shop Fair has a lot in common with the store at 1510 St Nicholas Ave over in Manhattan, also a former Rite Aid that's become a Shop Fair owned by Anibal Rodriguez. And like that one, this store is small enough that they've made liberal use of the sidewalk space in front ...

Shop Fair Supermarkets Opened: June 7, 2025 Owner:  Anibal Rodriguez Previous Tenants:  Waldbaum's > V&C Supermarket Cooperative:  Retail Grocers Group Location:  12 N Franklin St, Hempstead, NY Photographed:  July 18, 2025 By now, if you've been reading The Market Report for long enough, you're familiar with the core New York City-area grocery cooperatives. In no particular order: Krasdale Foods ( CTown and Bravo ), Key Food Stores ( Key Food , Food Universe , SuperFresh , The Food Emporium , Food Dynasty ), America's Food Basket ( AFB and Ideal Food Basket ), Associated Supermarket Group ( Associated , Met , Pioneer , and Compare ), Allegiance Retail Services ( Foodtown , Freshtown , Pathmark ) and Retail Grocers Group ( Fine Fare and Shop Fair ). Most of these groups run relatively small-format, urban supermarkets. Some, like Key Food and Allegiance, have a number of larger, suburban locations ; some (like Krasdale) are staunchly against that. Reta...