Red Hook’s Beloved Fairway Market Closed ‘Indefinitely’ After Hurricane Sandy

The New York Times reports on the devastating flooding from Hurricane Sandy of Red Hook’s Fairway Market—a favorite of many Brooklyn Heights’ shoppers—and its impact on so many other smaller shops in the neighborhood. The 52,000sf waterfront grocery at the base of Van Brunt took on 5 feet of water and is closed indefinitely. The Times says: “Fairway was a destination after it opened in a striking, sprawling, brick-and-wrought-iron Civil War-era building six and a half years ago.”

Fairway Market suffered ruined floors and ovens, display cases tipped and shattered, a $50,000 coffee roaster is trashed, wooden cash registers were scattered everywhere… There’s also potential structural damage. Cheeses, breads, vegetables & canned goods blanketed the puddled floor. Workers threw out everything, filling 70 dumpsters.

UPDATE: More in The Brooklyn Paper, including photos, here.

Meanwhile, neighboring Italian wine shop Botta di Vino, which opened two and a half years ago, is also seeing the effects of the store closing. Co-owner Triciann Botta says, “It is the lifeblood of this neighborhood. I’m a wine seller. Food goes with wine. When we lost Fairway, we lost a big part of our customer base.” Others impacted: cafe & bar Fort Defiance, wine shop Dry Dock, gift shop Foxy & Winston, and restaurants Home/Made and the Good Fork (which took on 2 feet of water in its dining room).

Read more in the Times here. (Photo: Brooklyn Paper)

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  • wksnyc

    OBBP resident here. Never lost electricity. Elevators were down for about a week. Water was back on this past Sunday – building had bottled water shipped in for residents to use. Heat coming back today. Staff has been amazing. There you go.

  • Gerry

    @ wksnyc – thats sounds pretty bad to us up here on dry land on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade safe and cozy.

    Bottled water, down elevators, lack of heat,etc. all due to a storm that can and will hit again at any time – we feel you live in a dangerous place.

    I bet your that insurance company drops you.

  • wksnyc

    @Gerry – in the Spring when I step out my door into a beautiful park, I’ll be happy where I am. Thanks for your concern.

  • Wiley E.

    Do hot vendor’s carts float? I bet they do.

  • Wiley E.

    The umbrella could make a nice sail.