Brighton Beach’s senior citizens have not had an American supermarket for nearly three years — and they are hungry for some convenience.
Ever since the Met Food on Brighton Beach Avenue and Ocean Parkway lost its lease in September 2012, neighborhood seniors have been trudging to the Key Food at W. Fifth Street and Neptune Avenue — almost a mile away. The trek is difficult for some seniors to make on a regular basis.
“The seniors in this area have a very difficult time getting groceries,” said Jerry Sattler, 71. “Crossing Ocean Parkway and walking all the way to the Key Food is not an option or some.”
Plenty of food markets line Brighton Beach Avenue or adjoining side streets, but the high-end, mostly Russian stores — such as Taste of Russia, Brighton Bazaar, or Gourmanoff — don’t offer the products, or the prices, that many local seniors are looking for.
“You can buy all the caviar you want, but you can’t find a supermarket that supplies products for everyone,” said 70-year-old Arlene Brenner, who has lived in Brighton Beach for most of her life. “I need Clorox and cat food, not caviar and smoked meats — and not at triple the price.”
Key Food is too far away for Brenner, so she shops at small produce stores and pharmacies along Brighton Beach Avenue, but she says those stores overcharge because they know customers like herself have nowhere else to go.
The now-defunct Met Food had operated on Brighton Beach Avenue for more than 30 years, but Sattler said even before that there had always been a supermarket at that location for as long as he can remember. The closest non-international options besides the Key Food are on Sheepshead Bay Road, such as Waldbaums or Stop ‘n’ Shop.
The head of the Brighton Beach Business Improvement District agreed that it would be nice to get another traditional supermarket into the area, but she said the neighborhood does not have the requirements, such as ample parking, needed to attract large, national grocery chains.
“This is free enterprise,” said Yelena Makhnin, the group’s executive director. “No one, including us or elected officials, can force businesses to come here.”
Makhnin said she understands that non-Russian customers, especially seniors, may feel uneasy shopping at Russian supermarkets, and she encourages Brighton’s Russian businesses to be more American-friendly, but she disputes some of the criticisms about the stores.
“I think the Russian stores should put more signs in English, and try to make non-Russians feel more comfortable at these stores,” Makhnin said. “But we have many kinds of stores. Some sell luxury items, and some sell less-expensive products. You can buy things like milk or cold cuts much cheaper at some Russian stores than in big supermarkets.”
