RSS Feed
|
||||||||
|
Rkwy. Pkwy. Waldbaum's To Close Mar. 31
Following more than a dozen inquiries, the Canarsie Courier has confirmed that the Waldbaum's supermarket at 1871 Rockaway Parkway will permanently close on March 31 when its lease expires. Beginning last Friday and continuing through Tuesday, several readers called the newspaper explaining they were concerned about rumors of the supermarket's pending closing. Patty Counsel, communications manager for the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P), the parent corporation for Waldbaum's, told the Courier Tuesday, "Whenever a lease comes up for renewal for any of our properties we always examine the store's records and evaluate its business performance."
Regardless, the closing of the Parkway Plaza Shopping Center Waldbaum's is a disappointment for some local residents who have done their customary grocery shopping there for years. Several were also concerned because the only other supermarket within walking distance - for those who don't drive - is a Key Food store several blocks south on Rockaway Parkway in the Seaview Avenue shopping center. A spokesperson, who asked to remain anonymous, for Seaview Realty, a Manhattan-based real estate company that leases the property in what is commonly known as the Waldbaum's Shopping Center at Avenue M, said on Tuesday that he could not discuss the status of property negotiations. But, he did tell the Courier that they were trying to lease the property as soon as possible and would notify the newspaper and the community when a deal is concluded. One caller said she heard that an Associated Foods supermarket was supposed to succeed Waldbaum's at the site, but the realtor refused to talk about it. Since A&P took over the chain from founder Julia Waldbaum, it has steadily closed local stores, including the first store in the chain on Coney Island Avenue near Avenue J in Flatbush. Years ago there were more than a dozen thriving supermarkets in the Waldbaum's chain throughout Brooklyn, but after the latest closing, it will leave only four remaining stores in the borough. When City Councilman Lew Fidler, who represents the community where the store is located, learned of the store closing, he said, "This is not a surprise. Waldbaum's has been gradually pulling out of Brooklyn for 10 years. They should be ashamed of themselves. Canarsie is a vibrant market." Andy Chan, a merchant who owns and operates Rockaway Liquor World, in the Waldbaum's Shopping Center, said he expects the supermarket's closing to have "a small affect" on his business and hoped the realtor quickly leases the soon-to-be-vacant property. One thing almost certain in the wake of the supermarket closing is that neighborhood residents will miss the convenience of Waldbaum's, but even with its absence, and despite another formal name, longtime shoppers will likely continue to refer to the local strip mall as the Waldbaum's Shopping Center.
|
for larger version       |
|||||||
)
)
