Openings & Closings: Pokebab, Rite Aid, G-Free NYC, Luce, Perfect Polish
Pokebab is expected to open next week at 2047A Broadway between 70th and 71st Streets, the former home of Maoz, according to an employee at Pokebab’s Brooklyn location. Poke is a salad made with pieces of marinated raw fish and other ingredients. Here’s the menu. Thanks to HC and Alice for the tips.
The Rite Aid at 2833 Broadway at 110th Street is closing on March 6, according to a flyer that employees are handing out at the store. One tipster tells us it’s slated to become a CVS but we haven’t been able to confirm. Thanks to Regina and Paul for the tips.
G-Free NYC, a gluten-free shop at 77 West 85th Street, closed after seven years, and is urging customers to check out its online store at GFreeway.com.
Italian restaurant Luce at 2014 Broadway (69th) has closed, to be replaced by a new spot called Sole. Tipster Max said it had been open for a decade. Thanks to Ray for the photo and Max, Marcy and Kate for the tips.
Perfect Polish, a spa at 185 West 80th Street near Amsterdam that does manicures and pedicures, is back open after saying it was “out of business” a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to Daryl, Ninette and others for the tips.
That Rite Aid is hands down the worst pharmacy in all of New York City, State of NY, USA, North America, Earth.
cvs is the worse store
We used to call it “Wrong Aid.”
Hopefully the if it is a CVS it will be better managed. Hated going to Rite aid because of the unbelievable lines.
CVS give coupons but their regular priced items are at least $1 more than their competitors. Bed Bath & Beyond have the best prices plus their coupons.
Does anybody know if there’s going to be one of those new tall buildings on the Broadway & 110th st site? That Rite Aid is only one story…
That Rite Aid sells expired products. That Rite Aid is a mess. It is curious how they remained in business for as long as they did. There is a Duane Reade on 111th and Broadway. How many drug store supermarkets do we need?
Don’t know about the Pharmacy at Rite-Aide but love the prices and the randomness of product. It’s almost like the corporate mothership forgot about them and just let them be .. Once you’re under the umbrella of CVS/Walgreens/DR you can expect to see prices rise beyond belief
GFreeway maintains its personalized service online and delivers to the UWS. They have high-quality G-Free stuff that others don’t and prices aren’t outrageous. This endorsement is unsolicited.
The Pokebab news is really exciting. Its other location has strong reviews, and the UWS currently offers very little in the way of takeout poke bowls.
Closing of Rite Aid, or rather sale to CVS (if this is true) likely has something to do with the Walgreens merger that was partially blocked by FTC.
There is a Duane Reade (owned by Walgreens) about a one block north at 2864 Broadway. So a case for competition could be made that Walgreens had too many stores in that area.
Have heard from workers from at least one other Duane Reade that is close to a Rite Aid that their store will shut down, while the RA will be renovated.
For those that missed the news, Albertsons is buying the remains of Rite Aid that Walgreens left on table. https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2018-02-20/albertsons-buys-rite-aid-its-last-best-hope
I liked Luce…hope the next one is as good.
I guess there weren’t enough celiac sufferers on the UWS to support a gluten free store.
Because only celiac sufferers need to worry about gluten.
Goodbye, Luce; delighted to see you go!
Hopefully the new operation will have:
1) a better menu (Luce had the same boring menu year after year); and
2) SOUND-DEADENING so that normal humans can hear their dining companions over the continual din, especially from the bar-flies; and
3) a HANDICAPPED-ACCESSIBLE RESTROOM !!!
According to the photo, “Pokebab” is actually spelled POKÉBĀB, thus pronounced “PO-KAY-BABE”.
PO-KAY-BABE” ???
Uh-oh, wait till the #MeToo crowd sees this !!
Best of luck to pokebab whose patrons will have to run the gauntlet of squalor that exists there. Thank you Mr. Mayor.
Previous comment may have been a bit hasty.
Over weekend spoke with a few people and word on street is Columbia owns this property and has been fighting to get that Rite Aid out for years.
Looking at that corner you can see why; 2833 Broadway is a small one story “taxpayer” building.
It has a zoned FAR of 7.52, with a maximum of 65,296.16 sq. ft. of buildable space. Of that there is remaining 56,616.16 sq. ft. In short someone could put up a good sized building on that lot *As Of Right*.
Oh yes, the lot is zoned for residential just like the buildings surrounding, but there is a commercial overlay.
Thus you *could* get a fourteen to fifteen story residential building with ground floor retail in place of that Rite Aid. If things come to pass and whoever is developing that lot goes with inclusionary housing a building could get a few more floors.
Yes, the lines at Rite Aid were ridiculous (mostly because they sold cheap beer because Columbia U) and they often had misleading information in the aisles BUT they are also the only place I shopped for household cleaning products and everything from SD cards to batteries, ink cartridges, school supplies, holiday decorations, cereal, all kinds of grocery items and candy at cheap prices. And let’s not forget cheap beer. It was one stop shopping for a lot of household crap. I’m going to miss them. An employee told my neighbor CVS will be replacing them. I hope they bring in faster cashiers.
What about Manhattan Brew and Vine? Appears to be closed as well. Are there no updates on the homicide.