FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (PIX11) – Flatbush residents are rattled over the news that their local grocery store will be shutting down next month.
“We’re in trouble,” one shopper said.
Stop & Shop has been a staple in their community for years, and with food insecurity a concern, there are worries that their neighborhood may turn into a food desert.
“Everything is fresh and everything is up to date and that’s what I like about this,” said Frank Hazzard, a nearby resident.
The grocery store chain told PIX11 News in part:
“Stop & Shop made the difficult decision not to renew our lease at our Flatbush location because the store was underperforming from a financial perspective. The store will close on January 19.”
The store, located at 1009 Flatbush Avenue, will at least get residents through the holiday season.
A sign in the window reads, “Per our landlord…another supermarket is expected to take over the lease…” but residents fear that the new store may not supply good quality food at affordable prices.
“Where will I shop?” asked Brooklyn resident Gloria Thomas. “Now I have to drive farther out. I don’t know. I’m very upset though. I’m going to really miss Stop & Shop.”
Mary Wright is another shopper who lives nearby.
“That’s not fair to us as a community because we need this because it gives us fresh food and the price is good, so I don’t know why they want to take this away from us,” Wright said.
Coming off the COVID-19 pandemic and dealing with inflation, David Alexis, of grassroots organization New York Communities for Change, says the area cannot experience another blow.
“We need to make sure that the community is not left behind,” Alexis said. “It’s difficult because all it will do is force more folks to travel even further to try to find that.”
Along with the inconvenience for shoppers, employees will be impacted too. Some say they will be transferred to other locations but farther away from home.