Western Beef, a supermarket at 62nd Street and West End Avenue, is closing next month, an employee confirmed to West Side Rag.
But according to a letter from Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, the landlord has assured her a new market is on its way. Still, Rosenthal has expressed concern that the new market won’t be as affordable as Western Beef. That market serves a diverse neighborhood, which includes luxury apartments as well as the Amsterdam Houses NYCHA development. (And despite its name, Western Beef is a full-service supermarket with fruits and vegetables as well as beef.)
“At a time when people are struggling to put food on the table, it is crucial that affordable grocery options remain available,” she wrote in a letter to the Brodsky Organization that we’ve posted below.
The Western Beef employee did not have an explanation as to why they were closing. The company’s website makes it sound like they’re expanding not contracting, saying “new locations coming soon.”
Horrible name for a “full service supermarket”. Always thought they just sold, ya know, meat. 🤷♂️
Clearly, you’ve had your head in the sand… Decades of well-known full service… An UWS staple. They are always busy.
If I were proud of the replacement for Western Beef, I’d name it, The decision not to renew the Western Beef lease was made a long time ago, though not announced then. It’s not only Amsterdam Houses tenants affected. There are affordable housing tenants all over the ‘hood and more NYCHA tenants at the Clinton complex. I’m not in subsidized housing, but think more of Western Beef than Morton Williams!
I can only hope it’s not a Gristedes or D’Agostino. As you alluded, with Morton Williams as the only nearby alternative, affordability really needs to be a priority for this WB replacement.
Red Apple (parent company of Gristedes) owns D’Agostino, and has for about a year or more now. DAG family is long gone, though IIRC one member still is involved with supermarket in some capacity (working for Red Apple).
Both Gristedes and DAG have been upping their game lately. Many of the stores have been or are being renovated, but in terms of quality and merchandise offerings not much has changed.
Incredible the issues our local leaders choose to address. Surge in crime, rising homelessness, peple leaving the UWS in droves, non issue. A grocery store being replaced by another grocery store is a priority. Has anyone tried to speak up for the dozens of small businesses and stores that have already closed up and down Broadway/Columbus/Amsterdam, or the ones hanging on by a thread?
Well Frank, I think that thousands of people including children not having access to affordable food is a pretty incredibly important issue and we are lucky that we have an incredible Assembly Member who is willing to go to bat for those incredibly good people. They have rights too Frank.
Giving preference to owners of commercial businesses who for the most part do not live in the district over actual residents of the district is just plain wrong. And in addition Assembly Member Rosenthal can do more than one thing at a time.
Words “inclusion” and “equality” were big in 2020 and aren’t going away anytime soon.
Thus no, it cannot be just any supermarket that replaces Western Beef, oh heavens no!
It must be a place that sells Oscar Meyer bacon along side of artisan handcrafted organic prosciutto or whatever meat.
I’ve often wondered if LR has any concern for the small businesses on the ground floor of her own building and those on either side of her. If they go out of business does that affect her at all? The only reason I feel ‘safe’ going into Joseph Pharmacy is because there’s always a long line of TJ shoppers standing there. Sort of a buffer between the store and the homeless enclave in front of her door.
Read the comments. There are struggling families in this neighborhood who need an affordable place to shop for the food they eat every day. There’s nothing nonsensical about it. This store closing will cause real problems.
Not for nothing but everyone seems to moan about LR, yet she continuously wins primaries and is reelected.
Obviously either she is doing something right, or not enough of those who believe she isn’t bother to back a replacement.
She was the only name on the ballot for that position… that’s why she won…
For both statewide and local elections NY needs to go non-partisan. This way people can vote for the most qualified person without the schande of voting republican on UWS.
She ran unopposed in the last election I believe
I believe LR had the highest amount of write in votes against her in this past election, something like 1600. That’s an unheard of amount. As far as her winning elections being a testament to her doing a good job, I remind you this city voted in DeBlasio for two terms, I haven’t yet met a NY’r who thinks he’s done a good job.
Deblasio only got in the first time because he lucked out w the other guys doing things on their phones and other idiocy then it became him or a republican. He really slid in there despite himself and then had the gall to think he could be president but wasnt even asked to the DNC.
My point being if more persons turned out and voted for someone other than LR (or BdeB for that matter) neither would be in office now would they?
BdeB won both of his election races with some of the lowest voter turn out numbers in NYC history.
The place was not clean at all. I never trusted buying deli or meats there. Just only when I needed detergent or something like that. There were always towels on the floor soaking up leaking floors. Very dirty!! This neighborhood deserves a better market with more organic and healthy options. Good riddance to that filth roach motel! They need to gut and fumigate that place ASAP! West End Ave deserves far better than this place! I can’t wait.
What a shame. I shopped there frequently. Best prices in the nabe. And yes, the lines were often long and the staff unhelpful, but they made a real effort to stock stuff that the more upscale part of the nabe desired. Maybe the new Morton Williams siphoned off that part of the trade. Heaven help those people in Amsterdam Houses if the replacement is directed towards all the new arrivals.
PS: One thing I loved about shopping there is it was the last place you could buy beef bones and stuff to make your own stock.
When it is gone, we will all ask the age old question, where’s the beef?
Wow, what is up with that note from Linda Rosenthal? As if she gets to dictate what supermarket goes where?
There are three supermarkets on WEA in that area. Western Beef, Morton Williams and Jubilee. And after a while it seems there will still be three.
We have businesses shutting down right and left, a pandemic, unsheltered mentally ill people camping in the streets and there’s a state bill the spike taxes on co-ops because God-forbid public employees have to experience layoffs like the rest of us. But THIS is what she cares about?
No, Linda Rosenthal is full of ideas and plans for 2021. Notice she waited until after the election to spring this one.
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/new-york-legislation-would-make-covid-19-vaccination-mandatory
I saw a rat run between aisles few months ago.
I told an employee and their non-reaction told me it was nothing new.
Westside Rag please post as soon as you know who will replace Western Beef and when it will be opening.
Hopefully rat-free.
Best produce in area: first area when you walk in ..always fresh, well priced and abundant! I moved into apartment on Riverside Blvd in 2004 and have shopped consistently at Western Beef. I am not sure what store can replace it for price and selection of ethnic food products.The Morton Williams on West End Av. has ridiculously high prices. The Jubilee Market on Freedom Place does not take SNAP EBT benefits. Trader Joes produce is lacking local and sale items. I haven t been to Fairway in years but might revisit now. My bet is that we get an Aldi.
Are you confusing Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal with Council Member Helen Rosenthal? Linda has always done an exemplary job for her constituency.
Is this Linda Rosenthals burner account?
Maybe they were sick of shoplifters?
Western Beef’s prices have actually been creeping up, in the past year or so.
They were late coming to Covid precautions. I went there early in the pandemic and they didn’t even have a mask requirement, when others on the UWS (Fairway, Trader Joe, Zabar’s, etc.) were taking those precautions. I was on the outside line at TJ around that time, and a WB person was working the line, saying there are no lines at Western Beef. They finally did implement the Covid recommendations.
With the overpriced Morton Williams a couple of blocks south of the WB site, and cheaper options to the north, like TJ, one wonders what sort of supermarket will want to open there.
I walk 1/2 mile each way to get to Western Beef up n down big hills with heavy shopping cart because neighborhood grocery stores closer to me are just too expensive: Gristedes n Food Emporium. Western Beef is affordable n we need that in this neighborhood. The Big Apple supermarket on 9th Ave is way too small n badly arranged to handle the needs of the community
I take two buses to get to Western Beef for the prices. There isn’t much that can replace it. I can’t buy a 20lb. bag of Carolina rice at Trader Joe’s.
I couldn’t be happier. The place is a rat infested dump, with nasty customers, over stressed workers and lines that were always long. I stopped going there just before the lockdown in April. I would prefer to go to Morton Williams or order online despite the expense. Good riddance.
Hello everyone. I see here that New York State Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal is all of a under attack all of a sudden and also that people think she isn’t popular and that she’s just hanging by the skin of her teeth. Assembly Member Rosenthal received the greatest number of votes of all the Assembly members in Manhattan and had one of the highest vote totals in the entire state. Those vote totals are one of the reasons that she is so influential in City and State politics and that influence helps all of us in the district immensely. All of us. Thank you all for indulging me here. We have to give credit where credit is due. Always.
I agree that Linda Rosenthal has been doing a great job for the UWS. For those wondering about her priorities, remember that she can do more than one thing at a time. If you have other things you are looking for, send her a note. (On the other hand, I am happy that the other R., Helen, is term limited out and will not be seeking another role. I spoke to her a few times and found her attitude uncaring.)
She ran unopposed for the 67th Assembly District, with a reasonably large number of people leaving the ballot blank or writing-in someone else (17% for both categories). See https://nyenr.elections.ny.gov/
Her heart may be in the right place, but that letter of demands reads like the grandstanding of someone who ran unopposed.
I agree with you that Linda Rosenthal is an official who is caring, responsive, and efficient. It’s the other Rosenthal — Helen — that many of my neighbors have a problem with. (Linda is our NY State Assembly rep; Helen is our NY City Council rep.)
PLEASE Linda Rosenthal don’t let Western Beef close. Many people depend on this store for food. Many seniors with mobility problems are able to walk with difficulty the few blocks with their carts and fill them up with affordable prices for the month. They are not able to get these prices anywhere else. Western Beef is a life saver for many. Most seniors need Western Beef but don’t have a computer at home to allow them to send you a message.
I’m kind of happy to see them go. While I benefited from lower pricing I often only purchased canned and dried goods. As I have witnessed rats and pigeons run a muck, purchased meat and had to return it the following day due to stench. Here’s to hope that they will replace it with a supermarket that respects consumers enough to follow health and safety standards.