UFCW Local 1500 has confirmed the news (mentioned here two days ago) there are no plans for a replacement grocery store for the Gowanus Pathmark
... the objections to the sales of Pathmark stores #624 & #642 had to be withdrawn when it was finally established that the buyers (the Manichevitz family) were a real estate entity and have no desire to operate a supermarket in either of these two locations. Our global protections from the 2011 bankruptcy settlement only protect our stores from being sold to non-union supermarket operators, not real estate entities. Unfortunately for our members it means that the fight to keep these two locations open and operating as Union supermarkets has officially ended.
However, today's DNAinfo post about the impending closure suggests that the fight to keep a supermarket on-site at 12th Street might not be quite over:
But the owner of the shopping center where the Gowanus Pathmark is located wants to keep a supermarket at the site and recently filed an objection in bankruptcy court asking Judge Robert D. Drain to allow the second-highest bidder, grocery chain ShopRite, take over, according to court documents.
City Councilman Brad Lander also wrote to the judge on Oct. 15, lending support to the shopping center owner. "I am eager to preserve this space as a supermarket, as it is a vital asset to many members of our community," Lander said in a letter to Drain.
In the DNAinfo piece, store manager Ed Machado spoke of the customers' need for a more budget-friendly alternative to nearby higher-price supermarkets. Machado also expressed the feelings of uncertainty among staff at the store:
"We're hanging on a string here," Machado said. "It's a sad thing — I'm 40 years with them."
Earlier:
Pathmark to Close (August 29)
Pathmark Updates (September 11)
12th Street Pathmark Auctioned Yesterday (October 2)
Man-Oh-Manichewitz (October 3)
No Supermarket Replacement for Gowanus Pathmark? (October 19)
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