Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Updated 12/30: The grocery now appears to be closed.
New Yorkers Foodmarket will shut down in early January on Dec 31 now at 107 Second Ave., owner Michael Schumacher confirmed.
Schumacher, 63, who lives in the neighborhood, said that the grocery store's lease was up in August, and he has been operating without one since then. Although landlord NYU provided a six-month rent concession, he's not in any financial position to negotiate a new lease for the 38,000-square-foot space between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.
Business has dwindled recently, and new competition like the Wegmans nearby on Astor Place hasn't helped.
Schumacher, who teared up several times during our conversation, cited some ongoing health issues that have prevented him from putting in the hours necessary to make the business more profitable. He also doesn't have any money to hire staff. His cashier, Rosa, is the sole employee.
When a crowdfunding campaign is mentioned, Schumacher flatly refuses the idea.
He is vocal about the space staying as a supermarket, where one has been since 1974. He and his brother Steven bought the business in 1987 when it was an Associated before changing it to Met Food. (There were some tense moments in 2008 when Met Food's future was in jeopardy.) In 2014, it became New Yorkers Foodmarket following the bankruptcy of the previous food coop (White Rose) the Schumachers were part of.
"I'm here to give it back to the community. I have no personal guarantors, I have no more money," he said. "NYU has a commitment to the community to leave a supermarket on site. A younger person could come in and set up. It needs to be less transactional and more about the community."
For now, he's looking at a Jan. 4 closing date. Schumacher would like people to buy up whatever stock is left, and he believes he'll put merchandise at 50% off soon.
As we started our conversation at the store yesterday, an unhoused man approached Schumacher at the deli counter and asked him for some food, specifically milk or yogurt. Schumacher gave the man his change bags of coins — between $20 and $30 — and told him to buy whatever he needed.
"I put my life into this store," Schumacher said. "The community here has been my family."
30 comments:
This completely sucks
Michael was like a father to me and always a delight to talk to. I hope he sees this and knows how much of an impact he had on peoples lives that lived in the neighborhood. A true East Village staple that will be dearly missed. Best of luck in your next endeavor, Michael.
Wow - thanks for the report Stacie and sad to read out the struggles over there. Used to go there a bunch when I lived in the EV. Always nice folks
Thank you Michael and Rosa - and all the previous employees - for providing us with a grocery for so many years. I've been shopping here for the last 25 and have always found it a friendly, clean and convenient store. Their produce section was small, but much higher quality than anywhere around. I hope who ever takes the space can maintain the family vibe.
Best wishes and good luck to you.
It's very sad when an individual puts some much of their life into an endeavor, struggles for years against all the adversities this city lobs at it, only to have to finally throw in the towel and say goodbye.
Michael is a true East Village; having been through the crack epidemic of the 80's, recessions of the 90's and 2000's, 9/11 and not the least of all, COVID.
His store and Block Drugs have been the anchors to my block for all the four decades I've lived here.
I wish him well and hope that he gets the rest and of peace of mind that he deserves.
Damn. This is awful news for our neighborhood. I only shopped here a few times throughout the years, but I do remember him warmly engaging with customers. What a great man. At least he will have time to focus on his health. Wishing him Michael and Rosa the best.
Michael was one of the kindest neighbors we had. It is one more proof that the premise of "Saint Marks is Dead" is untrue. New York is not going through the usual generational changes, nor is it dying, it is being murdered.
I grew up and still live on St Marks… and I just can’t feel sorry, for more than a decade this has been an overpriced market that catered to the NYU crowd and those who can afford such lives.
When it was Met supermarket it was decent, but as The New Yorker I just ended up going to Key Food and Fine Fare for better prices, heck even Wegmans and TJ’s has better sale prices
Thank you Mike for being so dedicated to the East Village people. Your hard work in running the store and serving the people will surely be missed. Best of luck in your future endeavors. My heart just sank.
Michael was a great owner, and am sad his business cantvmake it further down the road.
I understand how you feel. It feels like a family member is moving away.
We guessed this was going to happen when Wegman’s opened close by. But Wegman’s is still a trek when you want a few grocery items quickly. And it’s not fun dealing with the lines and crowds at Wegman’s so we avoid it after the initial novelty wore off.
Michael’s store has been our go-to for over the decade and half we have lived here in the East Village — shop there at least every week. The cashiers were always nice and human, didn’t feel like an anonymous number like at other institutions, and never had to deal with rudeness like at other grocery stores like Key Food, where god-forbid you might need a store employee’s help.
I am sorry to hear of Michael’s health struggles. I’m sure the mental stress of trying to break even with the business can’t have helped. Thank you Michael for being such an integral part of the neighborhood community and for sticking around despite the difficulties.
As for landlord NYU, for an academic institution they certainly seem very myopic. They have no vision as to what makes the community a good place for their institution and students to thrive in. They killed Pannya Bakery, Sunrise Mart, Angels Share, and now this too.
To 11:02,
Cooper Union holds the lease on the building that housed Panya, Sunrise Mart and Angels Share.
Best of luck to Michael and Rosa. If NYU were truly community oriented they would offer the space for local nonprofits or even the Food Coop on Fourth Street and create something the community truly needs. But sadly NYU and Cooper Union will continue to operate as usual and go width the highest bidder with no regards for those community.
Not only is it sad to see the loss of a supermarket, but the constant of Michael and his staff was the last remnant of community along 2nd Ave. We’ve now lost all of the familiar mainstays, the family owned businesses (except for Block Drugs) that always provided us “old timers” with a sense of place. I know it’s been a struggle for Michael to stay open since pre pandemic days and am so grateful that he’s chosen to stay on as long as he could. I wish he and his family all the best- and a profound “Thank you!”
Michael, thank you for being a big part of this community for so long. Wishing you good health and peace and fulfillment in the future. Rosa, thank you for always being nice! Really hope you land on your feet.
Horrible.
Wish the elected officials who "care" about the community would help.
Wish the NYU and Cooper students who care about social justice and community issues would have focused on this and publicized.
This really sucks. And NYU really sucks.
NYU is one of the culprits that has
destroyed the flavor of our neighborhood.
And NYU doesn’t pay property taxes because they claim to be a nonprofit. Gimme a break.
Washington Square News has a piece from Dec. 14 on a new bill that could cost NYU over $100 million in annual tax cuts
For background:
In an analysis of the city’s map data, WSN found that property owners whose names included “New York University” owned over 12 million square feet of land in New York City. The university is also one of the 10 largest landowners in the city — in 2018, its real estate assets were worth about $15 billion. Currently, the university pays around $15 million annually in property taxes for spaces that are not a part of its “scholarly mission,” such as spaces it leases out, according to the statement.
Under state law, nonprofits do not have to pay taxes for properties they use for their primary function, which for NYU is education. The university can use its properties for classroom space, administrative offices, student housing and faculty apartments in order to qualify for the tax exemption, and university-owned land that is under construction can also be included depending on its planned use.
If NYU did not have a tax exemption for its properties, the university would have had to pay $142 million in property taxes last year, according to New York state assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who proposed the bill. Mamdani said NYU’s tax exemption could cover 100 days of trash collection and more than 1,600 new teachers for the city.
Grieve - thanks for that bit about the property taxes. This is so enraging.
The City has a feature this week on the tax breaks all the giant useless office buildings get. And there's no good reason for it! Meanwhile, we the people are the losers in this scenario. Here we are losing yet another vital business that serves everyone.
We have always enjoyed the radio playing in the back and the nice smiles of the staff especially during COVID lockdown. Thank you so much Michael and Rosa.
Terrible. Admittedly I forgot about this place but years ago I used to visit quite frequently. Hes always there.
I still called it Met Food. Sad to see it go.
MET FOOD!! Associated!! New Yorker. Mike is an institution. A community supporter. It’s beyond irrational that the big bull NYU can allow this. Yes. To a real non profit coop for example!
And Mike. We send you love and hugs and hope your health issues improve.
We love you. And yes. Only Block Drugs and you
Am sorry to hear this. I remember when it first became METFOOD with Moishe's and Kiev right there too. Really sad to lose old neighborhood businesses like this with their irreplaceable local-community vibes. You will be missed and remembered by all the real ones, MetFood.
This explains why Apple bank is closing as well. I hope an Aldi or lidl opens in it's place.
Yes, in my opinion NYU has destroyed this community. They are a large private corporation and they care nothing about the community, or its true history, or the people who have kept it together during the many difficult times we have experienced in the last 50 years. They care only about the hyper-capitalist landlord-based corporations who believe they have the right to overcharge the people for a simple, and comforting roof over their head. Only the needs of the Money-Devils matter! Goodbye, EV and LES. I am so sad to see you GO. We love you dearly! Lis, Ron, and Noah ("We are stardust - million-year-old carbon! We are golden - Caught in the Devil's bargain. And we got to get ourselves back to the G A R - AR- AR - R - D E N! Yes, we got to get ourselves back to the Garden!" by J.M.)
The fact him and one employee can somehow operate a store that large is mind boggling. I know it wasn't always like this but to do this for any length of time is impressive.
I’ve been in the East Village for 30 years and didn’t shop here much only because it was a little too far west of my neighborhood. I would stop in there now and then as I did a few weeks ago. There was hardly anybody in there if there was anybody at all, and just becoming aware of their closure through this article makes that recollection a little more sad. This place is definitely representative of an NYC that hasn’t completely vanished yet but is pretty close to disappearing into the ether. Here’s to all the management and staff that got outta bed every day to bust their asses keeping that place going. Side note: as most old school East Villagers know this space had a previous life as Ratner’s restaurant which had apparently been there for 50 years before closing in 1974. You can spot it in a lot of wide exterior shots of the Fillmore East.
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