[Photo courtesy of meL in Progress]
The Fifth Avenue Farm, a store at Fifth Ave. & Fifteenth Street that was known for having friendly owners and a good selection of produce, closed a couple of weeks ago. The blogger who produces the meL in Progress blog emailed us to say:
It used to be a fruit and vegetable store owned by a really nice Korean man. The people at Young’s Market next door said that business on the block has been suffering because of gentrification (according to the lady, yuppies don’t shop at their stores). I miss the 5th Ave. Green Market! Any idea what might pop up there next?
She also wrote on her own blog:
I, grudgingly, admit that I am part of this new wave of yuppies in nice, remodeled apartments. The neighborhood is gentrifying as the boundaries of Park Slope have extended past 6th Ave. to 5th Ave. and from 9th St. to Prospect Ave. The news of Green Farm’s closing, the lady’s fear that she and her husband would have to close Young’s too, and all the shuttered storefronts in the blocks nearby, make me feel part of an immigrant-pushing tidal wave that’s sweeping Korean and Latino business owners and residents alike.
While there are a lot of businesses left on this strip of Fifth Avenue it’s been undergoing a tremendous amount of upheaval the last couple of years.
6 responses so far ↓
1 david // Jul 29, 2008 at 11:55 am
there’s a great one on the same side of the street just a bit further down on 5th avenue run by a very friendly couple – btw 18th & 19th – freshest stuff on that stretch of 5th.
2 jp // Jul 29, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Yuppies like their produce too. Its probably more to do with higher rents than a lack of business.
3 Kat // Jul 29, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I have been living there for 10 year and hate to see that they closed. I have to say though that the produce they sold was not good and often just lasted a day or two.
The shop between 18 & 19th is pretty good. Otherwise take advantage of the Farmers markets on the weekend.
4 Frank // Jul 30, 2008 at 2:17 am
That place was great. 5th ave looks like shit with all these new buildings everywhere, who’s moving into these they all look vacant to me, the developers and greedy owners of the condo building are ruthless and don’t care how they are affecting my neighborhood. They stole my view of Manhattan from my apt. that has been here for since the 1800’s now I have to stare into a crappy looking empty building all day. It makes me sick.
YUPPIES PLEASE MOVE/STAY TO WILLIAMSBURG!!!
5 dave // Jul 30, 2008 at 3:55 am
Maybe if their product was better, people would shop there more. They had crappy produce, simple as that.
6 honcho // Jul 30, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Fifth Avenue and ‘past 9th street’ were always part of Park Slope.