The Fairway on 125th Street and 12th Avenue is expected to shut its doors unless a last-minute bidder emerges, according to a report in Crain’s.
Fairway agreed to sell the popular uptown grocery store along with four other Manhattan locations to Village Super Market for $70 million when it filed for bankruptcy protection in January. But Village has changed its mind and elected to buy the parking lot surrounding the Harlem location but not the store itself, according to federal court documents. A Village official did not reply to requests for comment.
The company has also struggled to sell its Red Hook location. “The fate of Fairway will be determined April 14 at a federal bankruptcy court hearing. An attorney for the 13-store chain did not respond to a request for comment,” Crain’s reported.
There’s also a note about “delays relating to the company’s efforts to sell” the 125th Street location in a New York State Department of Labor posting.
That’s horrible news! Please, someone, buy it and keep it the same.
Columbia should buy it and turn it into a food mall/shopping center.
Columbia doesn’t really care about the community.Columbia cates about Columbia and not the commoners. My job was destroyed due to Columbia’s gentrification plan on Broadway.
All of that would be too bad… village would end up selling the land to Columbia…
Columbia University is the great idea. Its slow real estate takeover up Broadway past 125 with two brand new spanking buildings show it has plenty of money. How ‘bout doing something foe the community?
You want Columbia to operate a supermarket? Why does every institution/business have to save the day or risk being guilted by people like you. I don’t think Columbia owes anything to the community in terms of providing a working business environment. Yours is not the normal way of businesses opening and thriving.
Columbia came in and usurped ten blocks of independently owned businesses over there, decimating an actual community-focused economy. That C stands for Colonisation, as in what’s been going on in Harlem. Why do people always have to come in an talk on issues they clearly have no idea about?
Where do you think there students and faculty shop for food?….Fairway!
@Woody. As an alum, it’s easy to recognize that Columbia is already operating a business — is already a “working business environment”: it’s called, the university.
This is terrible news. It’s the only place where I can shop and park my car in Manhattan. It’s been terrific in this pandemic. I hope this can be resolved.
Well, I realize not the only place,but it’s close to where I live, convenient and I’m comfortable shopping there.
OMG!! That’s the best store. That would be awful.😰
What’s the point of just buying the parking lot? Are they going to build where the parking lot is? Or are they waiting for the store to close to buy it cheaper so they can knock down and make a full Shop Rite from scratch? Just weird.
I suspect this is a crafty move that the judge should reject as it makes the store worthless without the parking lot.
A bankruptcy judge is not going to care about two parties agree to buy/sell to minimize losses.
The parking lot is probably a lot more valuable than the store anyway.
Kind of late with this news as just taking over the parking lot at 125th St was Village Supermarket’s decision several weeks ago when Village agreed to take over some locations, Amazon other locations and the rest of the locations to just close down. Please see the comments from the original WSR story.
I just figured that they’ll build a garage/warehouse for a Fresh Direct kind of operation.
No please tell me it’s fake news.
This is such a tragedy…. OMG! This store is so fatal to the well being of the community.
If I were the in power the first business group I would eliminate is Private Equity. Like Dracula, they suck the blood out of the country.
Damn shame. Just for that, I won’t shop there any more!!
Seriously, thay was a very important stop for me. I live in the Village and was able to drive up there, shop (for a lot of great) foods, drive back downtown and be done. Like other quality of life pleasures, soon another memory.
Also sad for all the jobs that will be lost.
You own a car and live in the village…quality of life is an uptown supermarket?
Is there anyway to mobilize a community effort (perhaps via the community board or other grassroots groups in the neighborhood) to stop this from moving forward at this time? To close a vital neighborhood resource in the midst of a deadly pandemic is criminal. Many of us depend on this market. We cannot let the Upper West Side become a food desert on top of all of the issues we are dealing with right now.
Columbia students will flood the store as soon as the buildings are completed. They should reconsider.
That location is going to be be so successful once the Columbia campus extension is built.
what a waste if it doesn’t get sold. The workers there have been there for years and some are soo friendly and nice to deal with. The parking there is great for buying heavy bulky things.
Amazon baked out of buying several Fairway locations due to actions (or objections if you will) by unions.
In aftermath of A&P bankruptcy that saw many supermarkets in city closed or purchased by new owners (who didn’t always keep all or any employees), city passed a new law. Anyone who purchases a supermarket in NYC must keep current employees at current wages, benefits, etc… for a certain period. Not sure of exact length but *think* it is several months. That is a deal breaker for many considering buying any NYC supermarket apparently.
While nearly all the old school NYC supermarkets (DAG, Red Apple, Gristedes, A&P, etc…) were or are all union shops, the new arrivals such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are not, and their owners plan to keep things that way.
It was getting pricey, but it still had some good deals and things other stores didn’t carry. The fewer supermarkets, the more expensive it becomes. Corona let thieves like Gristede’s make out like the bandits they are.
This story doesn’t really make sense. The original stories of the purchase said that Village bought the parking lot and distribution center, but not the store. So why are you reporting that they “changed their minds?” They never had it.
https://www.winsightgrocerybusiness.com/retailers/village-prevails-auction-fairways-crown-jewels-amazon-gets-2-leases
The article that you provided actually confirms that Village changed its mind. In Jan, it offered $70MM for 5 stores but then changed its bid to $76MM for 4 stores and the parking lot & distribution center.
No, nowhere in the article does it say they ever were buying that location. They actually picked an additional store but not that one. Plus, my article is from several weeks ago. So there’s no way to claim that they just changed their minds
Please keep me informed with the stories I live in Holland and I have shopped at Fairway on 21st grade for the past 10 years Sissy great store great items that you can’t find anywhere else in holler
That store is very much necessary in that area. I cime all the way from the Bronx to shop there. Closing that store would be insanity. Without the parking lot it’s doomed!!
The perfect spot to put a decent full service supermarket. Someone invite @Publix @Wegmans @StewLeonards to open in Harlem.
BOOOOOOOO Village Super Market. Just BOO to you! Really, you ought to rethink this. It will turn off tons of loyal customers…. loyal to Fairway that is.