Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The Wegmans at Astor Place — the grocer's first Manhattan outpost and No. 110 overall — will open on Oct. 18 at 9 a.m.
Yesterday, store officials provided EVG with a tour of the under-construction 87,500-square foot space at the landmarked 770 Broadway.
This retail space was previously Kmart, which closed after 25 years in July 2021. (Wegmans had agreed to buy out the fading retailer's lease to make this 30-year deal possible.)
A note before going inside... the former Kmart entrance on Eighth Street at Lafayette will be for the onsite restaurant, featuring a sushi bar and champagne-oyster bar set to open in the first half of 2024.
However, there are new escalators here with easy cart transport...
The lower level has the grocery items.
Upon opening, there won't be any wine or spirits for sale in the store, though they will have a beer section.
Also! You cannot access the store from the 6 train, and vice versa, like in the old Kmart days. The turnstiles are still there, but they are blocked off.
And Wegmans will just have the main and lower levels. (Kmart gave up the second floor back in 2018, presumably in use by Wannamaker building tenant Meta/Facebook.)
Finally, if you want to get a headstart on the Wegmans experience, you can download the store app and create an online account. Otherwise, see you in October...
Wow Grieve really got an insider view of the new Wegmans. Thanks for the update I look forward to shopping there when it opens for the public.
ReplyDeleteThis will be better than key food
ReplyDelete*Clutches pearls*
DeleteThanks Stacie for the sneak peek and insider action - Great reporting and this location will be a hit!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait! Never get time to visit Brooklyn one
ReplyDeleteToo bad about the closure of the 6 train entrance. That always pulled me into Kmart AND I thought it was a great way to add accessibility to the train station (a plus for the neighborhood).
ReplyDeleteCan’t wait!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stacey! You get an "in" to the most interesting places!
ReplyDeleteWow, 87,000 square feet; sounds pretty overwhelming, and I'm sure the place will be packed much of the time. They're clearly aiming to make you get their app, which presumably makes checking yourself out faster, b/c 31 self-checkouts versus 7 human cashier checkouts is not a level playing field!
BTW, I find the size of that "buffet/salad bar" frightening - all I can think of is how many different ways the food there could get contaminated.
I'm guessing prices won't be cheap, b/c you can't run 87,000 sq. ft. of store & pay 600 employees AND make a profit, unless you're charging $$$$.
We shall see!
It's worth it the food is delicious
DeleteYou are aware that there are already 100+ successful locations already and that their employees already have great careers?
DeleteThe register area looks almost spa-like.
ReplyDeleteStill miss Kmart though.
👍👍
DeleteCan’t wait for this place to be incredibly overpacked and sold out of everything.
ReplyDelete😀👍
DeleteThat’s the positive attitude we’re looking for!
DeleteI love your site but this article is kind of a bummer. I feel like the opening of a massive chain supermarket that is going to pummel small businesses is something that we should all be "EV Grieving" not celebrating with a tour. Especially since it just looks like every other Wegman's ever built.
ReplyDeleteI can't really think of any small businesses in the area that would be pummeled by a supermarket. There are no small grocers around there. H-Mart and Westside Market are both chains, both a few blocks away. Walgreens is right across the street. And places like the Ukrainian deli on 2nd really don't compete with Wegmans for anything and won't have to worry too much about this opening. Plus, it's not like a chain didn't already exist here. Kmart to Wegmans doesn't feel like that huge a stretch.
DeleteNew Yorker Market on 2nd Ave. This supermarket has been a neighborhood staple for 30 years. When NYU bought the building, the community came out and opposed the untenable rent hike and NYU relented with a new lease. The lease is expiring and they want a $30/sq rent hike. The supermarket is still struggling to pay off debts from the pandemic period. We need this local market (locally owned!). In my mind, Wegman’s, with its emphasis on restaurant features and a supermarket in the basement, does not replace a closer, neighborhood oriented supermarket.
DeleteI love the staff at Westside Market on 3rd and 12th street, but their prices are ridiculous for the most part. I think Wegmans will force them to rethink their strategy.
DeleteI have never had a good experience at New Yorker Market. The prices are high, the stock is minimal and the staff is rude.
DeleteFWIW, Wegmans is a private family-owned business.
DeleteI grew up with Wegmans in upstate new york and now shop at wegmans in the philadelphia suburbs . It is the best. Try it and if you don’t like it don’t go .
DeleteCurious if it will be open 24 hours
ReplyDeleteOh brother @12pm today. If it makes you feel any better, the store is just barely in the EV.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the typical prices at Wegmans compared to TJ’s, Whole Foods, and Key Foods?
ReplyDeleteThey are in the middle between Whole Foods & TJ’s
DeleteOn basic items they're comparable to Trader Joe's! They're generally more reasonable than Whole Foods (except on 365 brand items which are about the same) They're much cheaper than Key Foods as is even Whole Foods for most items. Lol Overall they're in the middle but are as cheap as Trader Joe's on some items especially their store brand.
DeleteKey Foods has the best prices around and is often $$$ cheaper than Whole Foods on all but 365 items
DeleteI worry that wegman's will take away business from CVS across the street. NOT.
ReplyDeleteWegmans prices are cheaper than CVS! CVS is the highest pharmacy anywhere.
DeleteI live in Rochester, always shop at Wegmans.
Trader Joe’s is fun to shop at as well. The new Whole Foods is no big deal.
Wegmans brand is good for some items and not others! Their bakery is delicious and so are their breads. The best thing about Wegmans is their customer service! You need help, they will go
out of they’re way to help you. Hope you all enjoy 😊
Complaining about a grocery store?! Incredible, 12:00pm. If there is one thing you want to be coming from a chain it is groceries! Margins are incredibly low to begin with so if you want prices to not be nuts you need scale...
ReplyDeleteSome of y’all are grouches! For my tastes, a giant ass grocery store to get lost in? YES PLEASE.
ReplyDeleteTouché! Some people are just contented in being “Kill-joys in every situation! I also agree with many of the other people who attack the fact that Wegmans are a plus to any neighborhood. Try visiting when they’re open. A pleasant surprise awaits you!
DeleteI'm excited to have another grocery store to add to the rotation and, like @1:21, don't think that this will compete much with other stores further east. There's really not much in the way of big grocery stores in that Broadway area aside from Whole Foods at Union Square. But I do question the need for the "Asian food station with woks and chefs". Do we really need an in-store food court like this in a major metropolis with fantastic Asian restaurants? I'm sure it will be popular for one-stop shopping/take out but would prefer to support my local restaurants.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll miss that 6 train entrance for sure!
@12PM: "Especially since it just looks like every other Wegman's ever built."
ReplyDeleteHuh? K-Marts all look like each other, Target stores all look like each other, and Duane Reades all look like each other, etc. - does that annoy you also? It's called "brand recognition".
It is true that Wegmans uses the same color tones/architecture but, we have 3 in the Allentown/Bethlehem/ Easton area in PA and they all are set up differently.
DeleteAlso, commenting on an earlier post, the workers at Wegmans take pride in keeping the stock fresh and the store clean. Great selection of healthy, gluten free and vegetarian items.
I have been waiting forever for this place to open. It will not affect the local independent shops. It’s Whole Foods that will suffer most. And I am glad. Whole Goods prepared foods and salad bars are the worst. The hot food is never fresh. And the selections are the same day in and day out and have been for years. The fish and meat sections are an overpriced joke. There are no frozen or refrigerated ready made side dishes or main courses like in any modern grocery store around the world, yet there are 20 kinds of gluten free pizza. I just wish it would open sooner.
ReplyDeleteThe ultimate Q after sushi: will they count coins?
ReplyDelete@2:53 PM
ReplyDeleteThe New Yorker Market on 2nd Avenue should be more appreciative of the patrons who supported them. I signed the petition way back when to support them. After a few customer service issues with the owners, I wouldn't sign the petition again.
Venetian plaster walls, walnut paneling, bas relief tiles, terrazzo flooring. The EV never looked so fucking posh. They're doing John Wanamaker proud.
ReplyDeleteLFG!!!!
ReplyDeleteEverybody worrying about Wegman's wrecking small businesses....there is a HUGE lack of grocery stores in the area, let along NYC. Considering the amount of people here, I"m glad there will be a store that's just a supermarket not a concept.
ReplyDeleteTo people commenting on a Daily Mail article, an outlet that didn't have access to the space and is publishing photos and a news release that Wegmans supplied ... please read our 4th paragraph:
ReplyDeleteA note before going inside... the former Kmart entrance on Eighth Street at Lafayette will be for the onsite restaurant, featuring a sushi bar and champagne-oyster bar set to open in the first half of 2024.
Do we know yet if there will be an actual sub bar, or just prepared sandwiches?
ReplyDelete@1 21. Walgreens? That disappeared from Astor Place years ago,
ReplyDeleteCVS, my bad!
Deletethanks jacob for the tip on wegman's coin counting! i'm going to try that now
ReplyDeleteWill there be an elevator access to the lower ( grocery) level or only an escalator with a shopping cart lift? This is important for mobility-impaired customers.
ReplyDeleteK-Mart had an elevator, I’m betting that they kept it.
DeleteYes, I’ll be working there, and can confirm that there are elevators inside.
DeleteIf it can't compete with Trader Joe's, no thank you.
ReplyDeleteTrader Joe’s is lemonade stand compared to Wegmans!! Joe’s is gonna have to up their game big time!!!
DeleteIt definitely will be able to compete with Trader Joe's in all facets including pricing especially for basic items. Trader Joe's will feel the pinch for sure and will be forced to up their game in stores nearby
DeleteWegman's was voted the #1 supermarket in the country as far as the way they treat employees and I believe #2 in general in the country. My brother has one where he lives and tells me, "Just you wait!". Everyone loves Wegman's so to see people complain baffles me. If you want to know prices, look at their website. Since they took away Food Emporium, there is no real large supermarket left in this area except Morton Williams on LaGuardia Place. While Wegman's won't be as large as a huge Jersey supermarket, it still looks pretty big. I can't wait. I have a feeling that Gristede's on University Place will lose a lot of business since it's only 2 blocks away. Two more months, I am psyched! Thanks EV for the tour!
ReplyDeleteI was so looking forward to Wegman's, but I'm disappointed. Half of it is prepared food! Mediocre stuff. Mall stuff. This is NYC. You can get better pizza, better sandwiches, better ANYTHING at any little food place in the neighborhood. As for their groceries, I was surprised that their selection really wasn't that great!! No bulk coffee or coffee grinder, hardly any whole grain pasta, no tart cherry juice (even Walgreen's carries that), no really good brands of yogurt. I wanted to get a smoked ham hock to make split pea soup, but they didn't have it!!!! But they DO have 1,000,000 pre-made plastic-wrapped sandwiches. They will do well, though; there are many NYU students from the suburbs who like that stuff.
DeleteHowever, the produce is great quality, better than Whole Foods, but not enough organic.
I’ve been a long time Wegmans shopper but in Syracuse NY. You’ll love that Wegmans has just about everything. I’ve never had a problem getting in & out quickly if I needed to compared to other grocery stores in my area. They have a great deli & bakery. Enjoy your new store - you won’t be disappointed.
ReplyDeleteGreatest grocery store in the World, best of luck to the Wegmans team in NYC!
ReplyDeleteThanks! We can’t wait for opening day either!
DeleteI’m puzzled by all the negative attitudes about this new Wegmans - particularly the snarky comments about the potential for food-borne illness from the food bar. No one is on top of safe food handling practices more than Wegmans. I’ve been a food service professional for over 40 years and always worry about those things. They monitor the safely of pertinent food temps and the potential for cross-contamination on a constant, systematic basis. I see it in each Wegmans I shop at. They take the time to properly train their staff to make sure systems are in place that work. They are not ‘cheap’, but neither are any food establishments using quality ingredients and retaining properly trained staff that care about their work. It seems some folks just look for things to complain about.
ReplyDeleteFrom Rochester,NY, Home of Wegmans. In one of our suburbs we have a Wegmans, Trader Joe's and a newly opened Whole Foods within 1 (one) mile of each other (Wegmans being there first). Apparently, neither Trader Joes nor Whole Foods were concerned about competition. They all have their pluses and minuses, and are shopped for different reasons, items, convenience etc. In other words, they all play nicely together.
ReplyDeleteThe manhattanites are in for a real treat. I love shopping in the Wegman’s in NJ. Now the have to come to Staten Island.
ReplyDeleteSixty year ago shopper in Brooklyn Grand Union at 92nd and 5th Ave. Moved to upstate New York and now in eastern PA. Have watched Wegmans grow down into PA and further south. Always marveled at the size and quality of the stores. I am a long ago acquaintance of Danny Wegman and before that his dad. All this to say that the lower NYC store will continue the outstanding presentations of the existing stores. Give it a go. Let it gain traction. It’s the complete package. Gary Colvin. Emmaus PA
ReplyDeleteFor a grocery store, it seems the groceries should be readily available; not causing the shopper to go up a floor to pay.
ReplyDeleteHurray! Native Rochestarian here who shopped at the original Rochester stores in the early 50s and have always stocked up when I go back. So happy to be able to walk to one now. Way to go, Danny!
ReplyDeleteI work at Web and in Rochester. I think you will love it. Most stores have a sushi counter with sushi made every morning but they will make one to order. Great breads, great prepared foods. Its a shopping experience. When I come to the city again, I plan on checking out this new store. I dont think you will be disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been a fan of wegmans since my college days in bufffalo in the 70’s! So exited they’re coming to my city!
ReplyDeleteI see they have the pizza shop... but don't see their sub shop setup. They made the mistake of not having the sub shop in the Brooklyn store, and added it in shortly thereafter. Hopefully they know that they NEED the sub shop too.
ReplyDeleteFell in love with Wegmans in the late 60’s right around the corner in Rochester, NY. Moved back to NJ and had to wait until 80’s for them to arrive there. Now live in the Charleston, SC since 2005 and am still waiting for them come here! Thanks. Nancy
ReplyDeleteI always feel sad for anyplace I go that doesn't have a Wegmans.
ReplyDeleteWegmans is a high quality and very exceptional store, we have one a mile from our house and we shop it quite frequently. You won't be disappointed at all, top shelf employees, excellent choices of all items and the management is very helpful. I wish them the best and am worried about the "thugs" that commit smash and grab. This should not be allowed and this is my concern, their choice of this city to put a new store in. Remember you get what you vote for, so don't blame anyone but yourself, look in the mirror. Wegmans deserves the best, they are the best! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous. I live in Erie Pennsylvania we have two Wegmans and they are fantastic. Especially the fresh produce which they religiously inspect. Also, their own brand of products are very very good and of course much cheaper. The ready-made foods are also very good. I must confess I have to watch when I shop there that I don’t buy too much because it is all delicious. They have not put anyone else out of business but I’m sure some people stop there more than they do other places. A new grocery store is always a plus. You have a Wegmans in Brooklyn was that a detriment to the community or its businesses?
ReplyDeleteI called Rochester New York home from 1965 thru 1992 but still visit there annually because my son still lives there. Rochester was a great place to bring up a family which I did and I shopped regularly at the best super market in town... Wegman's on Mount Hope Ave, #1 store. Then the Wegman's chain started to grow throughout the Rochester metropolitan area until now when I can go back to shopping on Astor Place. Welcome to the BIG CITY. If you can make it here, you'll make it anywhere...
ReplyDeleteTheir employees are exceptional.
ReplyDeleteI can’t wait! Maybe they will force Westside Market and the insanely overpriced store in the corner of 9th and 2nd Ave to lower their prices. Plus their prepared foods are really good in other Wegman’s. Although the store layouts can be super confusing, separating organic and “natural” foods from regular stuff. Look in several places for things like oatmeal and crackers. Otherwise great stores.
ReplyDeleteLooks great. Losing the Broadway entrance for easy access will cost them lots of impulse-buyer $$. Why not have TWO entries in a store that size?
ReplyDelete