Residents said they hope the Key Food in Howard Beach will soon open. Photo by Anna Gustafson
For half a year, Howard Beach residents have waited.
Driving by the large white banner tacked to the former Duane Reade on Cross Bay Boulevard, the words “Coming Soon” emblazoned in bold lettering, they have wondered when the only competition to Waldbaum’s would open its doors.
But, after the “Coming Soon” sign went up in August, the Key Food has yet to open and residents said they are crossing their fingers the new food shop will make its debut in the near future.
This week, a Key Food representative told Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway Park) that the grocery shop at 163-20 Cross Bay Blvd. is slated to open in April. However, Michele Gissi, a spokeswoman for Key Food, said she has not been informed of any set opening date.
Gissi said the Howard Beach store will open “hopefully soon, but nothing is confirmed.”
“They’re making strides toward opening,” Gissi said.
However, Goldfeder said a Key Food representative, who had solid knowledge of the situation, informed him on Tuesday that “renovations are ongoing and they expect to be open by April.”
“Having competition will ensure residents have a choice, and we’re getting the best possible service,” Goldfeder said of Key Food’s impending arrival.
Numerous residents have said while they would have liked to see something like a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods come to the neighborhood, they are pleased Waldbaum’s will face competition.
Waldbaum’s is the only supermarket chain in the area, with one store at Cross Bay Boulevard and 156th Avenue and another in Lindenwood.
“Waldbaum’s has such a Monopoly,” said Lawrence Fiffer, who has lived in Howard Beach since 1985. “The two Waldbaum’s together conspire to keep the prices high. Competition would lower the prices somewhat.”
Fiffer stressed that he often tries to avoid going to Waldbaum’s.
“I work in downtown Brooklyn, and I do a lot of my shopping there,” he said. “When I have to go to Waldbaum’s, I try to only buy the essentials because the prices of their fruits and vegetables are really high.”
Residents have long complained about the prices and quality of the food at Waldbaum’s, and there is even a Facebook page entitled “Howard Beach Waldbaum’s Sucks.”
“I really wish it was a Stop and Shop, but anything has got to be better than Waldbaum’s at this point,” one resident said on the Facebook page that includes photos of moldy burgers and articles about Waldbaum’s selling the most expensive milk in all of Queens.
The Key Food will replace the Duane Reade that was previously housed in the building but did not reopen after Hurricane Sandy.
There are a number of Key Foods in Queens, and the chain recently opened a Key Fresh & Natural – a smaller version of Key Food – at 102-02 101st Ave. in Ozone Park in October.
Founded in Brooklyn in 1937, Key Food Stores Co-operative Inc. includes more than 145 independently owned and operated grocery stores that rake in about $1.4 billion in annual sales. In addition to Key Food and Key Fresh & Natural, the stores operate under the Key Food Marketplace, Food Dynasty, Food World, Holiday FArms, Locust Valley, and Milford Farms brands in all five boroughs, Long Island, upstate New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
By Anna Gustafson
