When Rite Aid in Greenburgh’s Hartsdale hamlet closed on Feb. 1, 2024, as part of the company’s restructuring and bankruptcy, nearby residents — many of whom are elderly apartment dwellers — were left bereft by the loss of a go-to anchor on East Hartsdale Avenue.
The mood was a 180-degree turn on Friday, Oct. 2, as Hartsdale Marketplace by Key Foods opened on the former Rite Aid site with samples and giveaways — a celebration that will continue through Sunday, Oct. 4.
The crisp, clean 6,700-square-foot store — which cost more than $2 million to renovate and will employ 25 to 40 people — is the Long Island-based Taveras family’s fourth cooperative with Key Foods. There are two in Corona, Queens, and one in Jersey City, New Jersey.
What makes Hartsdale Marketplace unique? Begin with the name.
“I think our selling point is our focus on Hartsdale,” said Johny Taveras, who serves as co-general manager with brother Cesar. “Anyone can sell a bag of chips. We cater to the neighborhood.”
That means generous hours (7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily) and competitive prices for a curated mix of products — everything from produce to protein (meat and delicatessen counters) to prepared dishes, along with paper and cleaning products. (There’s a small selection of health and beauty supplies behind checkout.)
Customers will find quality name brands like Bell & Evans (chickens) and Morton & Bassett (spices) as well as local businesses like Hartsdale-based Gotham Freeze, maker of gelatos and sorbets, and the store’s own Urban Meadow label. Prices, Johny Taveras said, are competitive.
Already the phone is ringing with residents looking forward to deliveries, said Melissa Taveras, the store’s office manager and Cesar’s wife. (Johny’s son Julian is in charge of stock, and on opening day, Johny and Cesar’s father, José, now retired, was nonetheless on-site to lend a hand. )
All this was music to the ears of longtime Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, who mentioned the probability of parking vouchers for Hartsdale Marketplace customers who spend a certain amount.
“Residents have asked for a supermarket on East Hartsdale Avenue for years,” he had emailed us earlier. “This is very exciting and excellent good news for the community. It should help us revitalize East Hartsdale Avenue and make the avenue better than it ever was.”
