Wednesday's parting shot

A forlorn look at the now-closed New Yorkers Foodmarket at 107 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

The grocery shut down at the end of 2023. Read more about that here. 

Thanks to longtime East Village resident Dana Della Valle for the photo.

A last look at the New Yorkers Foodmarket

Photos by Steven 

The New Yorkers Foodmarket is winding down business at 107 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

Owner Michael Schumacher put all items in the grocery on sale back on Thursday with a Sunday (Dec. 31) closing date in mind. He told customers on Friday that if he sold enough of the remaining stock, he would not reopen this weekend. 

The store did eventually open this afternoon around 2 ... there were a few items left here and there...

It's not yet known if the market will return for one more day.

As we first reported on Dec. 20, ongoing financial challenges and health issues forced Schumacher to close the store that he has been part of since 1987, when he and his brother bought what was an Associated. 

Read more here.

'Everything must go' as the New Yorkers Foodmarket sets Dec. 31 closing

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Updated 12/30: The grocery now appears to be closed.

Michael Schumacher, owner of the New Yorkers Foodmarket at 107 Second Ave., has moved up his closing date. The grocery will now close after the business day on Sunday, Dec. 31.

As we first reported on Dec. 20, ongoing financial challenges have forced Schumacher to close the store that he has been part of since 1987, when he and his brother bought what was an Associated.

Starting this morning at 11, Schumacher said that everything will be 50% off inside the grocery.

Business has dwindled recently, and new competition like the Wegmans nearby on Astor Place hasn't helped. 

Schumacher also 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.

A grocery store has been in this retail space (in a building owned by NYU) since the early 1970s.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• New Yorkers Foodmarket is closing soon on 2nd Avenue

New Yorkers Foodmarket is closing soon on 2nd Avenue

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.

He also points out that all the machinery, refrigerators, and cases are in working order and well-maintained. (Schumacher renovated the grocery in 2011.)

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."

Checking in on New Yorkers Foodmarket

New Yorkers Foodmarket, 107 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, is an uncrowded grocery option (especially now that Key Food on Avenue A always seems to have a line outside).

The market has plenty of essentials in stock, including fresh produce, canned goods, paper towels, soda, etc., as seen in these photos from yesterday afternoon...











Two recent visits found just a handful of shoppers inside, all at a comfortable distance from one another.

New Yorkers Foodmarket is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.