When Is Whole Foods Opening Already?!
By Gregory Cagle
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With the demise of Pathmark, Harlem residents are restless for healthy food choices
In November of 2015, the Pathmark on 125th Street and Lexington made its final curtain call, closing its doors on a community of about 30,000 customers a week. As a result, even those who at first resisted the idea of a Whole Foods (aka “Whole Paycheck”) in Harlem, now see the healthy but pricey food chain as a welcome relief.
Whole Foods Market first announced it was coming to Harlem in 2012 and first broke ground at 100 West 125th Street and Lenox Avenue in 2014. It is just one of the retailers in the entire building that’s under construction. Wharton Properties obtained the former parking lot for $95 million.
So how long will Harlemites have to wait? Signs at the construction site say that store will open this spring or summer. But a Whole Food spokesman recently told the NY Post the opening will be closer to the end of the year at the soonest.
With few places to shop for groceries, many in the area now feel frustrated and restless. Longtime Harlem resident who goes by Woody, misses Pathmark, which he found convenient and reasonably priced. “I am a retired senior on social security,” explains the 78-year-old. “With nothing close I’ll just settle for Whole Foods.”
On the flipside, residents like Orysia Rasher supported Whole Foods ever since the chain announced its Harlem store. “I shopped in Pathmark and was not impressed with the so-called healthier choices,” says the 41-year-old mother of two who has lived in Harlem for seven years. “Whole Foods gives me as a parent better choices in feeding my children. Even though it’s taking a little longer, as long as it’s coming I can be patient.”
On the business side, smaller supermarkets and bodegas have seen a dramatic increase in business since the closing of Pathmark. City Fresh Market located on Third Avenue between 121st and 120th has changed its operating hours to match those of Pathmark. “We had no choice but to expand to being open 24 hours,” says Jorge, the general store manager. “We basically got a lot of the customers that the old Pathmark had; we even had to hire more employees and did some renovations.”
He’s not sure how the health food chain will affect his store. “I have no clue what the impact of Whole Foods will do to the business,” he says. “We have a more affordable choices and operating hours that work with the community.”
Moktar Al-Kuzaie, 31, who works at S.A.D. Grocery on W. 123rd St. and Lenox Ave., says he expects to see business take a hit. “People will still come, but business will go down,” he explains. “Whole Foods was expected last year and the longer it takes, I won’t complain.
