The Independent Edition

Ozzie's Fresh Market Owner:  Felipe Fernandez Opened:  1999 (as Associated Supermarkets) Cooperative:  Associated Supermarket Group Location:  592 Fort Washington Ave, Manhattan, NY Photographed:  November 2018 Contributor:  Steve M. Formerly branded Associated Supermarkets, this location in the northern end of Manhattan is now Ozzie's Fresh Market (note the Associated logo remaining on the right side of the storefront). The Associated was scheduled to be replaced by Walgreens, but after an enormous backlash , the property owners agreed to let Associated stay on the condition that they'd remodel the store. Contributor Steve M. brings us a nighttime look at this nicely illuminated store. There is a second Ozzie's (also a former Associated), which operates with Key Food's Food Universe Marketplace banner, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. I can't help but wonder whether this location will also be switched over to Food Universe soon...

Farm Country Supermarkets Owner:  Dae Kun Yoo Opened:  1995 Cooperative:  Retail Grocers Group Location:  2205 Linden Blvd, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  July 2018 Bad alignment with this photo here. Far Country! I promise you there is an M under the light. Today's store tour is this supermarket in East New York right on the main thoroughfare, Linden Boulevard. It's clearly been a supermarket for many, many years (in fact, the "front" of the store , or the side that faces Linden, may be an extensively renovated former A&P, though I kind of doubt it), but Farm Country has set up shop here and turned it into an enormous warehouse store with every type of African and Caribbean grocery item you could imagine. There is a large parking lot in the back. This Farm Country joins a few other locations run by the same group: Farm Country - 234-21 Merrick Blvd, Rosedale, NY Farm Country - 2076 1st Ave, Manhattan, NY Shop Fair - 160 E 110th St, M...

Tio Grocery Owner:  Pascual Melo Opened:  2008 Cooperative:  none Location:  1288 Herkimer St, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  July 2018 Another small bodega today, this one is just north of Atlantic Avenue (a major east-west artery through Brooklyn) at the corner of Rockaway Avenue (a north-south artery) and Herkimer Street. It's generally somewhere between the southern part of Bushwick and the northern part of Brownsville. It's easiest to just call this "East New York," but I think we're going to go with Bushwick. Anywho, the only reason I photographed the store is because I was moderately amused by "breadfast" (instead of "breakfast") on the store awning. Yeah, that's it. Yep, that's what I'm passing off as a post for today. But that's our last small store or bodega for several weeks now! All supermarkets here and on The Market Report going forward.

Mr. Mango's Food Market Owner:  Fausto Rodriguez Opened:  2015-2018 Cooperative:  none Location:  112 Rockaway Ave, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  July 2018 Looks like Mr. Mango suffered from some pretty bad fire damage, and it doesn't look like the store has actually reopened despite the "we'll be back soon!" banner on the front. I usually don't photograph bodegas like this, but this one caught my eye because it's such a blatant ripoff of the KiCoPi Group stores (see here and here ) and in fact, KiCoPi does operate a Mr. Mango across Brooklyn in the Clinton Hill section. That's about all for today, come back tomorrow for more!

Food Story Natural Market Owner:  unknown Opened:  2018 Cooperative:  none Location:  1552 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  July 2018 Food Story Natural Market has set up shop here along Myrtle Avenue, in a location two blocks east of Sea Town and with one Food Bazaar a block to the east and a second one block to the north. (We'll be touring the east one tomorrow on The Market Report !) Believe it or not, their space is actually a new-build structure. The store opened in 2018 just prior to my visit, and while it's not an enormous market, it's a solid 6100 square feet. This location joins another at the north end of Bushwick and one in Astoria/LIC .

Sea Town Supermarket Owner:  Min Wu Opened:  2009 (and 2012) Cooperative:  Krasdale Location:  328 Linden St, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  July 2018 Today's store is a Sea Town Supermarket. No, not a CTown Supermarket . I don't actually know whether these folks were trying to make their store sound like CTown, but they are totally unrelated. For a little history here, the Sea Town Fish & Meat Market opened in 2009 on the northeastern corner of Linden St and Irving Ave as a primarily Asian produce, fish and meat market. Following its success, the owners also took over a property across the street and opened it as the Sea Town Supermarket, presumably selling everything except those three departments, as I would imagine it would be redundant to include them all again. Here you can see the Fish & Meat Market on the left with the Supermarket on the right. The owners of these stores also own the Green Corner Fish & Farmers Market . ...

Mr. Kiwi's Fruits & Vegetables Owner:  Chung Eun Kim Opened:  2007 Cooperative:  none Location:  957 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  July 2018 The original store in the "Mr. So-And-So" group, Mr. Kiwi's is a large greengrocer on a corner in the heart of Bushwick. Culture Trip  has a great article about the group of stores, known as KiCoPi, which you can read here . The store is right nearby a Food Bazaar, which (with luck) we'll tour tomorrow on The Market Report! Update 2:25pm:  I have come across an additional picture I took in April 2019. The building above the greengrocer shop appears to be under construction, although I doubt Mr. Kiwi's is going anywhere. I forgot to go inside and see if they have a Mr. Kiwi's cat like the Mr. Berry cat!