Nyack Fresh Market fills void downtown
For the first time in decades — since 1980 to be exact — Nyack has a supermarket downtown.
The Nyack Fresh Market officially opens Saturday, although the soft opening was Feb. 20.
And at 8:40 a.m., less than two hours after the grocery store opened at 7 a.m., eager customers were already through the doors, pushing carts, perusing and shopping for goods. Nyack resident Laura D'Angelo was one of them who was beyond excited to finally have a market here. "It's fabulous," she said. "It's a convenience that's been much needed."
Rochelle Spooner felt the same. She came from Piermont to be there for the market's first day and said she'd gladly travel back. Added Nyack resident Frank Simone, "We needed this. It's been a long time."
Owner Wilson Bermeo said that was the point. A New City resident who also owns three supermarkets in Spring Valley, specifically Spring Valley Supermarket, D & K Produce and Huerto del Eden, as well as Mount Ivy Diner in Pomona, said for too long, there's been a hole downtown, especially as there's so much foot traffic and many people don't have cars. And though it took three years — the space had previously been the long-shuttered Riverspace theater that closed in 2011 after a flood — Bermeo said his goal is to service the community and provide "a little bit of everything for everyone."
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That means wide aisles full of organic and regular produce, fresh seafood, meats, a deli counter, prepared foods, baked goods, household items, gluten-free products, frozen foods as well as wine and beer.
Being from Ecuador — he emigrated from there in 1995 — the store also carries a variety of Latin American products such as Tropicala's queso blanco, La Ricura pupusas de chicharron and crema de Honduras.
Customers will also find a nice selection of pies and cakes, including cheesecake from Junior's and coconut custard pie from Urban Meadow as well as individual cake slices in red velvet, carrot cake, funfetti and more from Ridgefield Park, New Jersey's Palermo Bakery.
"I know there are many cultures and ethnicities here and I want to make sure we have products that appeal to them," said Bermeo. "It's why we wanted to do this soft opening first; so if there's something they think we need or should add, I'm here to listen."
The Fresh Market shirts his staff wear prove his point, reading: "I am here to help you."
Some history behind the village's supermarket
So why did it take so long for Nyack to get a market downtown? Nyack village Trustee Marie Lorenzini, who was there early in the morning to welcome and thank Bermeo, said there were a lot of reasons.
Space was one of them. "As grocery stores expanded their goods, more space was needed," explained Mike Hays, president of the Historical Society of the Nyacks. Grand Union, which closed in 1980 and had previously been located where Mainstream Commons is now, eventually moved out to The Hub shopping center with more parking.
The store, said Hays, also held the lease on the building and stipulated that no other grocery store could move into the building, which kept competition out of the downtown market.
At one time, he said Nyack had an A&P next to the YMCA on South Broadway but that went out before the Grand Union closed.
And before that, say a century ago, Nyack had 10 or so grocers at a time, each with a speciality such as meat, fish, flour and canned goods.
Jack Dunnigan, who has lived and worked in Nyack for over 50 years — he owns the iconic Pickwick Book Shop on South Broadway — said it was always interesting to see how other stores (like Koblin's Pharmacy) have, over the years, worked to fill in essentials such as paper products and cleaning supplies. "But to do that big grocery shopping, Nyackers pretty much have to leave town," he said.
Which is why everyone, from the mayor to the shoppers to Roger Cohen, president of the Nyack Chamber of Commerce, consider this opening, in Cohen's words, "a really big deal."
"Certainly, having a grocery store will keep people in town, serve the many new families moving into new apartments here and add to the attraction of living in Nyack as a 'self sufficient' village," he said. "There's also a healthy synergy between the Fresh Market and the Nyack Farmers Market, which is right next door and held every Thursday."
Said Nyack Mayor Don Hammond, "we look forward to their success."
If you go
Address: 117 Main St., Nyack, 845-512-8877
Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 7 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Plans down the road include staying open 24 hours Fridays and Saturdays.
Grand opening: 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Nyack Fresh Market is a new addition to downtown
