The Independent Edition

Market Fresh Supermarket Owner:  Hyper Panda Corp. Opened:  2016 or early 2017 Cooperative:  Krasdale Location:  535 Marcy Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  January 2019 This small grocery store at the corner of Marcy Avenue and Martin Luther King, Jr. Place in what would be the far western extreme limit of Bushwick. (It would more accurately be referred to as northern Bedford-Stuyvesant, or Bed-Stuy.) It operated until about 2012 as "Asociados Supermarket," which seems to have been affiliated with Associated Supermarkets and not simply a bad knockoff. From 2012 to early 2016, it operated as the Marcy Food Market. By December 2016 or perhaps early 2017, the store reopened as a Market Fresh Supermarket, a Krasdale program. The approximately 4,000 square foot store functions mostly as a large bodega, with a heavy focus on prepared foods and deli. There is also meat, produce, and grocery, though. Certainly all the basic groceries...

Sprout Market Owner:  Bik Market Inc. Opened:  2017 Cooperative:  none Location:  984 Broadway, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  January 2019 This 2300 square foot greengrocer and natural market (not to be confused with Sprouts Farmers Market , which has no New York locations) is located in a newly built building a block south of Mr. Kiwi's and two blocks southeast of Food Bazaar . Tough location, so we'll see whether this relative newcomer can make it in this spot! There was an upscale grocery store in Jersey City called Sprout Market Place, which later converted to Sprove Market Place , and although it used the same logo, I don't know whether these stores were related.

Myrtle Market Place Owner:  Myrtle Market Place Corp. Opened:  2012 Cooperative:  none Location:  1218 Myrtle Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  January 2019 This is one of those stores that's between a supermarket and a bodega. I simply can't call a 1600 square foot store a supermarket, but at the same time, it does sell produce, deli, meat, and grocery, along with fresh juice. I'll let you judge for yourself.

Tang Long Food Market Owner: Xin Hao Tang Opened:  2014 Cooperative:  none Location:  268 Knickerbocker Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  January 2019 This grocery store is located on the corner of Knickerbocker and Willoughby Avenues, immediately next door to The Angel's Fruit Market . I can't quite figure out what exactly this store sells, and the Chinese name contrasts oddly with the storefront, which reads (in Spanish): "Butcher Shop and Products of Mexico and Hispanic in General." Very strange, and I didn't go in because there's another, much more exciting store right across the street, which we'll see tomorrow on The Market Report!

The Angel's Fruit Market Owner: Carmello Bruno Opened:  1988 Cooperative:  none Location:  272 Knickerbocker Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  January 2019 This small produce market is well known in the neighborhood as the spot for good produce at cheap prices. I regret now not going inside, but we can see some interior pictures here  and here on Google Maps. These greengrocers were previously in every New York City neighborhood, but for many reasons, have been closing up shop across the city. Nice to see one doing well here with a great looking selection!

Hi! Mango Natural Market Owner:  Chang Hak Lee Opened:  2013 Cooperative:  none Location:  341 Knickerbocker Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY Photographed:  January 2019 Today is a quick look at a natural market and greengrocer just north on Knickerbocker Ave from Mr. Lemon . There are two additional Hi! Mango Natural Markets, one just to the north on Flushing Ave in Bushwick, and one out on Queens Blvd in Briarwood, Queens. It's one of the many small grocers that line streets like Knickerbocker and Flushing in all five boroughs of New York City.

Mr. Lemon Owner:  June Yoon Opened:  2016 Cooperative:  none Location:  410 Knickerbocker Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY Photographed: January 2019 Opened in 2016 , this sister store to Mr. Kiwi's  is the real thing, unlike yesterday's imitator . It's just about two blocks north of Mr. V Berry. I actually stumbled upon this store (and the others we are soon to see on Knickerbocker Ave) by accident; while attempting to walk west on Myrtle Avenue, I took a wrong turn and ended up on Knickerbocker. When I realized it (by seeing this store), I figured, why not stay on Knickerbocker, there are grocery stores! So I walked out on Knickerbocker and back on Myrtle, and we'll get to see some stores on both streets over the coming days.

Mr. V Berry Owner:  Mr V Berry Frutas Y Vegetales Inc. Opened:  2018 Cooperative:  none Location:  1410 Myrtle Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY Photographed: January 2019 Alright, now get ready for a lot of Brooklyn! This store seems to be capitalizing on the "Mr. So-And-So" chain of stores, owned by the Yoon brothers, while not sharing an owner. In fact, we saw the unrelated Mr. Berry in Greenpoint a while back. Mr. Kiwi's is also just up Myrtle Ave. Meanwhile, Mr. V Berry seems to focus on produce, juice, and salads rather than grocery items. (I'll take a moment to point out that, although this store is in a different neighborhood and technically over the border into Brooklyn, it's only 3/4 of a mile from Billy's Marketplace and half a mile from Food Bazaar on Wyckoff .) We'll be heading west along Myrtle Ave for more stores over the next few days!

Billy's Marketplace Owner:  Billy Rodriguez Opened:  2017 Cooperative:  Krasdale Location:  870 Cypress Ave, Ridgewood, Queens, NY Photographed:  July 2018 In 2017, the conversion of the former Fleur de Lis Caterers Ballroom into Billy's Marketplace was completed. The former catering hall became a supermarket just shy of 20,000 square feet with a coffee shop, beer bar, bakery, and seafood department. Soon thereafter, the store's positioning was altered slightly, angling less upscale. The store added a CTown affiliation, beginning to use the CTown circular with lower prices on mainstream grocery items instead of more specialty items. The seafood department was closed, and the grocery selection was modified to angle more mainstream. I visited the store after this transition was complete, and it's an interesting combination between upscale and mainstream. I'm not sure just how successful it is, but it's good to see that the owners of this store a...