It’s official. Union Market will open a third outlet — in Fort Greene — by summer.
Marko Lalic, co-owner of the high-end Park Slope grocery, confirmed the long circulating rumor that he and his two partners are bringing their beloved gourmet supermarket to the corner of Fulton Street and Rockwell Place, in the old digs of a dollar store.
Times, and neighborhoods, change.
Where once residents shopped for 99-cent bargains, now they’ll shop for Gruyere and prosciutto di Parma. There will also be a good produce section, a much-desired commodity in the neighborhood.
This will be the second expansion in one year for the Park Slope market, on Union Street and Sixth Avenue. This summer, the proprietors revealed they were opening a shop in the South Slope, on Seventh Avenue, between 12th and 13th streets.
“Fort Greene is pretty similar to the South Slope, another underserved neighborhood,” said Lalic. “We feel the store would be a good fit.”
Councilwoman Letitia James (D–Fort Greene), agreed.
“Obviously, we need some alternatives some of the existing markets in the district,” said James. “A number of constituents were going to Park Slope. So I’m glad that Union Market is coming to the corner of Fort Greene. And the owners have indicated to me they be hiring some local residents.”
James’s excitement was echoed by Fort Greene resident Phillip Kellogg.
“There’s definitely a need for terrific meat and fish and produce and bread and cheese and all that,” he said.
“People have been screaming about it for as long as I’ve been here, so I think it’s terrific,” he added.
