As commenter “Nancy” posted on OTW earlier today and BHB has CONFIRMED – the fire ravaged Gristedes on Henry and Clark Street will reopen next Friday November 21.
The store was destroyed by an electrical fire on April Fools Day. Original reports had the store re-opening in “six to eight weeks.” Seven and a half months later, it seems that Brooklyn Heights will have a shiny new supermarket at its service. What can we expect: a coffee bar, breakfast sammiches, a sub shop, an olive bar and a “highly qualified baker”.
Update: Lots of activity in and around the store tonight. Some shelves look fully stocked already and while it appears that there’s still some structural work left to do a Grand Re-opening next Friday is looking totally possible. If anyone has photos, upload them to the BHB Flickr Photo Club or email them to webmaster AT brooklynheightsblog dot com.
WE. SHALL. SEE.
I’m not holding my breath for improvements.
At least it’ll be clean… for a while.
Yes, clean til the next electrical fire
Great, now I don’t have to walk all the way to Key Food to get my daily dose of check-out humble pie.
I’m thrilled. It may not have been the best supermarket ever, but it’s no worse than Montague Key Food, and it’s two blocks away. I kind of feel the way I did when the Clark St. station was closed for elevator repair for three months: managing without it was easier than expected, but it is such a relief that it’s back…
I just hope it doesn’t smell like old kitty litter! The old one used to reek!
It will be better, but I have my doubts about how long until it reverts back to its former self. (Do grocery stores have selves?)
It’s a top-down problem. He’s a billionaire with a reputation for having a cluttered office. If he can’t keep his personal space organized and tidy, do you think he really cares about the appearance of his stores?
I went to the Gristedes’ pharmacy last night and–lo and behold!–the wall between it and the larger store had been “broken through.”
I peeked through that entrace and saw too-familiar, already stocked shelves, what appeared to an old cold-case, and the northern-most wall, which actually seemed to be newly refurbished.
But the instant and overwhelming impression was: it’s going to be exactly the same! Or mostly.
Still, what a relief not to have to go to Peas and Pickles, where the selection is limited and the line long, or all the way to Key Food!
I can’t wait to overpay for cat food and Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Sorbet!
Hope they provide a new manager as well, someone who can keep the place clean and well-stocked. I’m not expecting a Whole Foods, but I do hope they modernize their selection of groceries along with the upscale bars they’re putting in.
it was always a f.owner coming to the old gristedes; it was smelly, poorly organized and had a ghetto-like feel to it. unless they get new management who know how to maintain the store, it will revert to its old seld
uh oh,, here we go, using ghetto as an adjective again….
My personal favorite characteristic of Gristedes was the left three check-out lanes blocked off by shelves and barricades, leaving two check-out lanes with approximately 8-12 customers per lane. Efficiency at its finest!
the new gristedes is great. The improvements are BIG improvements and I love shopping there when I get off the 2 train at Clark Street. They did a great job.