[Photo by Rainer Turim]
The deli on the northeast corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street closed last night after nearly 35 years in business.
Workers began dismantling the market on Sunday evening...
[Photo by Steven]
[Photo by Steven]
An LLC with a West 11th Street address bought the building at 118 First Ave. back in the spring for $5.8 million, according to public records.
According to a reader who spoke with the Golden Food Market (aka Ali's) staff, the lease was up for renewal and the new landlord wanted an increase that was more than the store could manage.
Ali Fardos, whose family owned Golden Food Market, also runs East Village Organic a few storefronts to the north on First Avenue.
An EVG reader shared this upon learning the news yesterday: "Ali and staff are the nicest people around. The prices were fair, but most memorably, they stayed open all during and after Sandy. I think I remember that they were lit by hanging kerosene lanterns. They will be missed and fondly remembered."
[Photo by Rainer Turim —— click pic to go big]
Ah man I second their awesomeness during Sandy,well at least with EVO they're still in the nabe and close, Ali and family are old school style grocers, local and always great vibes,
ReplyDeleteWent there all the time in the 80's an 90's when I lived ove ray's down the block good pepe's.
DeleteThis is terrible.
ReplyDeleteThat's horrible. This was a staple of our hood. I live on E7th St and have passed this deli thousands of times over the years. The owner was always nice and welcoming when I went in. They also had a pretty good selection of things. Closings such as this transform the EV in a bad way. Without bodegas and little corner shops, it feels less authentic.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but it feels sad and weird to me. Times are a changing. :(
And certain landlords need a reality check within their greedy souls.
Friendly place---always got my coffee there on the way to work. What a fucking shame!
ReplyDeleteA real NYC neighborhood survives on it's delis plain and simple. They are always nearby almost alway open, get to know their customers faces and what we like to buy from them. Imagine trudging over to Whole Food at eleven at night in your pajamas to get cat food or a carton of milk. The raise in rent will be prohibitive to there ever being a deli here again only a specialty food store with much higher prices would even consider this spot. It could get worst with yet another bar or sports bar taking this spot. When all the delis are gone the EV will officially be dead.
ReplyDeleteI found him overpriced with not such great produce. But what do I know?
ReplyDeleteYay! We can now get another Starbucks, maybe? or a fro-yo emporium?
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to see them go. Ali's was the first, and for a long time the only, place in the area that sold real baguettes. Good neighbor. :(
ReplyDeleteBut happy to hear that he is the proprietor of the organic market. I hope it's successful.
This is awful ... I live on this corner and came here almost every day for 10 years for cold cuts, brews, snacks, and any other random needs.
ReplyDeleteGood memories hanging out in this spot late at night too. Good luck to Ali and everyone who worked here. Will miss this place and the staff.
Why not make it another desert destination? There are so many freaking places now with sweets, what's the harm?
ReplyDeleteThis is very sad news. This has been my go-to place ever since East Village Farm closed. The staff there were amazingly nice, and the produce was very well taken care of and always in good shape. Also, $1.75 for a large hot coffee, which is becoming a rarity in this city.
ReplyDeleteThe EV has lost most of it's identity. It exists mostly as a theme park. But the corner deli is what identifies a neighborhood a steady force in a shifting space... the last line of defense against the hoards, the impersonal mobs that have taken over.
ReplyDeleteCommunity Board 3 where are you?
ReplyDeleteI was in there one night when a drunk girl staggered in and tried to buy a flip-flop.
ReplyDeleteThe guy told her they don't sell flip-flops.
She freaked out on him screaming that she didn't need flip-flops, just one flip-flop because she only lost one.
She wandered back into the street wearing one flip-flop.
Once bought a Gatorade there, price $2.25. Gave the cashier $10 and I was fishing in my pockets a sum of $0.25. And I was able to scrounge three nickels and a dime. So, gave it to the cashier right before he can give the change for the $10. Cashier just looked at the $0.25 in coins, then at me, grab the coins, and then [still] gave me a change of $7.75. Didn't have the energy to explain on why I gave the extra $0.25 as I still have yet to drink the Gatorade. Maybe if it were La Croix that I was purchasing, I would've have had a hissy-fit about the whole transaction. Comes with the territory of purchasing and drinking that magical seltzer water afterall.
ReplyDelete?
DeleteAli and his family own and operate East Village Organic on 1st Avenue and are the best. They are friendly will stock new products at a customers request. While this isn't your typical corner deli it a great family run organic market, the kinda business we should all spend our money in. So please stop by and say hello to Ali and his family, his wife makes wife spinach pie and other treats and they have a great and fair priced juice bar.
ReplyDeletemotherfucking BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! reasonably priced, always kind, and i got hands down the best plum of my life there sometime in the early 90s (this is not a euphemism). will check out EV organic!
ReplyDeleteThe new owner paid almost $6 million. Upstairs, two apts are occupied by very senior citizens. There is no way the new owner can cover his monthly expenses without doing something fucked up to the residents. At least with the store, they were getting $17k per month. Now I hear they want $20k! That would only cover a $2 million monthly mortgage payment. Now they're getting NOTHING from that space.
ReplyDeleteThis is yet another example of dirty money from overseas being stashed in the form of Manhattan real estate which is purchased by foreigners through shills regardless of price and economic viability. The city KNOWS and ALLOWS and FACILITATES this.
The small business owner forced out loses and the community loses another resource as the landlord is rewarded a tax break due to his "loss of income" resulting from the vacancy that HE caused!!
City Hall is COMPLICIT in this shit!!
My understanding is that the owner of EV Organics is Ali's brother. I've never seen one of the brothers in the other's store.
ReplyDeleteHe was paying 17K a month? That seems impossibly high.
How many delis/bodegas are left in the East Village?
ReplyDeleteWTF is going on? How are people and businesses supposed to survive when the rents are impossibly high and the wages immeasurably low? There aren't even enough jobs because of the mass competition. When closings such as this transpire, it sets the mood for other similar businesses to follow suit. There must be a law placed to prevent things like this from happening. Too bad. What a loss for our hood.
ReplyDeleteI shutter to imagine what else will be there now? A gelato or desert place? Pass.