Thousands Sign Petition To Save Crown Heights Supermarket

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A petition aiming to stop the eviction of a favorite Crown Heights supermarket has gained thousands of signatures in just a few days.

More than 3,500 people had signed onto the petition to keep the Associated Supermarket on Nostrand Avenue open as of Tuesday afternoon, less than a week after reports surfaced that it would be forced to close down in 90 days.

The vacate order, first reported by the Brooklyn Paper, has left nearby residents worried that a food desert would be created in the western portion of the neighborhood.

"Unique for its parking lot access, the Associated supermarket is a community staple and would be devastating if it were to close," organizers of the petition wrote. "Many of us are senior citizens, and persons with large families, losing the supermarket would be a tragedy to the community."

According to the Paper, the supermarket was recently given a 90-day notice to vacate the building after negotiations for its lease fell through. There is currently a moratorium on commercial evictions in New York that is set to expire at the end of the month, though it is likely to be extended again by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Midwood Investment and Development, who gave the vacate notice, told Bklyner that they have been in talks with Associated's owner for years about their plan to change the use of the property. The supermarket has been on a mont-to-month deal since last summer, according to the developers.

The Associated Supermarket, which sits between Empire Boulevard and Montgomery Street, has been in the neighborhood for more than 30 years, according to residents.

Its closure would mean traveling far to find quality, reasonably-priced foods at other grocery stores and the loss of an "economic boon" to the neighborhood, residents say.

"Even missing the Associated for a day would endanger the health and well-being of the community," they write, noting the jobs Associated provides to the neighborhood and their efforts to help seniors with free shopping during the coronavirus crisis.