All's Fair on Avenue C: Fine Fare is now a Shop Fair

Two weeks ago, an EVG reader reported that the Fine Fare on Avenue C at Fourth Street was under new ownership... this afternoon, workers have installed the awning for the new supermarket — Shop Fair. (Thanks Stacie Joy for the photo!)

The grocery has several NYC locations, including in Washington Heights, Jamaica and Far Rockaway.

Reader report: New owners for Fine Fare on Avenue C?

An EVG reader shared this photo from inside Fine Fare on Avenue C at Fourth Street.

Per the reader: "There was a bunch of work going on ... One of the employees told me they had new owners and were putting in an expanded meat and produce section."

This Fine Fare location is no longer on the tri-state grocer's website (the stores are independently owned and operated) ...



We reached out to the Fine Fare corporate office for more info on the Avenue C market. Will update if we hear back from anyone.

And back to the reader: "Glad they're fixing the place up, but hope the prices stay low!"

[Updated] Blood outside Fine Fare

A reader notes that last night around 9:15, seven police officers, both uniformed and in plain clothes, chased down, handcuffed and searched a man in a baseball cap, T-shirt and shorts on the east end of the Fine Fare storage cages on East Fourth Street at Avenue C.

The NYPD cordoned off the area, placed the man on a stretcher and into an ambulance. An officer on the scene told the reader that the man had been chased from elsewhere and caught at that location. The reader also noticed that the man in custody was bleeding while standing against Fine Fare.

This morning, the reader saw that the man's dried blood was on the sidewalk ... along with a glove and gauze ...

The reader said that neighbors had talked to the Fine Fare manager about the blood. The manager allegedly said it wasn't his problem. Later this morning, two officers arrived on the scene, picked up the glove and gauze, and then went inside Fine Fare.

As of 11:30 this morning, the blood is still there.

Any other readers have further information about what happened here? Please send them our way via the EV Grieve email

Updated 1:16:
Gothamist has more on the incident here. According to their tipster:

"I talked to the manager who said he wasn't going to do anything about it and threw me out of the store ... I called 911 and 2 officers came, picked up those gloves and gauze you see from the street and threw them in the corner garbage can, and nothing else."

Fine Fare moves recycling to Avenue C

Back in October, DNAinfo reported that some neighbors were angry about Fine Fare's recycling center on the East Fourth Street side of the grocery store at Avenue C. The residents noted constant problems such as fighting, drinking, urinating in public...

One commenter on our post said, "Noise in NYC makes sense... but the degree of noise on that corner is just absurd."

Among other things, Fine Fare put up some signs and painted a no-hanging-out zone along East Fourth Street.

In a follow-up story in March, DNAinfo reported that the store would move the recycling operation to the front of the store on Avenue C... and, late last week, the move became official...

[EVG reader Steven]

... and a look at the East Fourth Street side now...

Have any nearby residents noticed a difference already with the move?

Fine Fare takes steps to curb recycling-related issues

Quick follow-up to the story that Patrick Hedlund reported on at DNAinfo last week... A lot of roughhousing and stuff happening at the recycling center outside the Fine Fare on Avenue C and East Fourth Street... which was causing quality-of-life issues for nearby residents...

As Hedlund reported in a follow-up piece, Fine Fare put up some signs and painted a no-hanging-out zone along East Fourth Street...

We swung by this past weekend to take a look and take a few photos...

Is the Fine Fare recycling center 'destroying' East Fourth Street?

Patrick Hedlund has the story today at DNAinfo ... Some fed-up neighbors are saying that the recycling center on the East Fourth Street side of the grocery store at Avenue C continues to cause problems. Such as: Noise. Drinking. Public urination. Fights.

Sounds like just another weekend night outside [insert pain-in-the-ass bar here].

Residents have been talking with the 9th Precinct and local elected officials this past year. Last Thursday, Hedlund reports that 15 residents met again with the 9th. Per the article:

“Essentially they live there,” said one block resident, who complained of having to pick up human feces “every day” and noted that some of the regulars hassle other people who often use the machines.

“This is a problem for us seven days a week.”

Is Fine Fare trying to kill this tree?

A reader sends along these photos from in front of Fine Fare on Avenue C at Fourth Street. According to the reader:

"Fine Fare did some repairs to their sidewalk and the workers just dumped the leftover cement onto the tree bed and left it there. This has been there for at least 2 weeks. This is a huge old majestic tree. I don't know what effect this is having on the tree, but it can't be good."