It’s like no other market — except the one in Red Hook!
Brooklyn’s second Fairway opened in Georgetown on Jan. 11, to dozens of shoppers chomping at the bit for a taste of the chain’s eclectic provisions. Gourmands have struggled to find specialty foods in the area since the Waldbaum’s there closed in late 2015, but the new market has a world of ethnic foods, said one cook searching for Caribbean spices.
“There are so many different cultural foods here — you can come in and get a variety here,” said Elaine, who declined to give a last name. “When Waldbaum’s closed down I missed it — I really missed it. Because then I had to start shopping at Foodtown and they do not carry what Waldbaum’s and Fairway carry.”
The chain is known for its mix of the fancy and the fundamental and tends to be a little pricier than nearby competitors — which previously made some locals lose their appetite for the store — but you pay more for quality, another shopper said.
“It’s a little high compared to Key Food and Foodtown but Fairway has a better selection,” said Charlene Wilson, who lives nearby. “Sometimes you have to pay the price to get fresher and cleaner, and sometimes it’s worth it. I’m ecstatic and we’re all ecstatic that we have a high-end supermarket here.”
One shopper came all the way from Bedford-Stuyvesant last Wednesday, because the market piqued his interest, he said.
“I just wanted to see — it’s my first time shopping here and I just came to pick up some snacks,” said Richard H. “I’m just looking around.”
Fairway, which has operated a store in Red Hook since 2006, signed a lease for the Georgetown market in summer 2015, but the deal was nearly spoiled when the company filed for bankruptcy a year later in May. It emerged after having to close just one store on Long Island.
Fairway Market (2149 Ralph Ave. between Avenues L and K in Georgetown)
