No new grocery now for the former Associated space on 14th Street in Stuy Town

Plans for a new grocery store at the former Associated Supermarket space on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue are not moving forward.

Several residents participating in a Tenants Association meeting earlier this month passed along the tip.

A spokesperson for Beam Living, the Blackstone-owned management company that oversees Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, confirmed the news.

"We have decided not to proceed with the potential new grocery offering at this time and are focused on finding a tenant that complements the area's existing offerings, continuing to build on our successes of adding great new tenants to the neighborhood," the spokesperson wrote in an email to EVG. "We are excited that in recent years both Trader Joe's and Target, two best-in-class brands that provide fantastic food offerings at a good price point, have opened directly across the street from the contemplated new grocery location."

As you may recall, in February 2021, Stuy Town management informed residents that Chef's Local Harvest, a 10,000-square-foot grocery store, would open in this space.

The family-run market is owned and operated by father-son duo Paul and Aaron Fernandez, who helped create the Union Market chainlet (as seen on Avenue A and Houston) and Ideal Marketplace in Chelsea. 

Here's more from the announcement to residents in February 2021:

Paul Fernandez has operated best-in-class supermarkets in New York City for the last 40 years and has worked to provide quality service and products throughout his career. He grew up in Little Italy after immigrating to the United States at 14, and is a founding member and principal in the Union Market chain, as well as America's Food Basket Banners. 

Chef's Local Harvest will feature a combination of fresh produce, fish and meat, in addition to a wide selection of prepared food and grab-and-go options via a café, deli and more. 

The space will also conveniently include an entrance directly connecting to the Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village community, providing quick and easy store access for our community. The store will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. 

Last fall, we heard about ongoing discussions regarding an entertainment/performance space in the store... with an outdoor cafe and a new entrance at the mezzanine level. (The deal included 7,300 square feet of the usable basement, per The Real Deal.)

As sources explained it, given the unique situation of the interior of the Stuy Town-Peter Cooper Village being zoned as R7-2, any type of commercial enterprise must be a "resident amenity." Hence, any liquor license must be a "club" only for "residents and their guests." 

While the plans didn't materialize for the Chef's Local Harvest, the Beam Living spokesperson was quick to tout other additions in recent years, including Rosemary's East, Bread Story and "a successful and well-received renovation of Hane, the popular local Japanese restaurant."

Associated closed in December 2019. Joseph Falzon, the store's owner, previously told Crain's that a confluence of factors had cut business nearly in half. For starters, construction on 14th Street for the L train obscured the supermarket with a 12-foot fence for nearly two years.

 EVG photo from the fall of 2022