Last week YWN posted an article [HERE] from Crains about the new 20,000 square-foot Pomegranate store in Flatbush, and today the NY Post felt it worthy enough for an article in this mornings paper. Below are excepts, written by Reuven Fenton, and titled: “Top-Nosh Kosher Grocer; New Kiddush On The Block”
It’s the kosher version of Whole Foods, selling gourmet products at high-end prices to wean customers from the familiar “schlocky” fare of local competitors.
The kosher megastore Pomegranate is muscling into Midwood, Brooklyn, blaring its upscale pedigree with pride.
You want fancy meats?
Aged beef-rib steaks are there for the asking – at $23.99 a pound. And grab a handful of hand-stuffed olives while you’re at it, for $7.99 a pound.
Then there’s the structure itself, a 20,000-square-foot building that takes up an entire block on Coney Island Avenue.
“They don’t have anything like this in Brooklyn,” bragged manager Mayer Gold, 37.
The newcomer opens Aug. 19 – but its rivals aren’t worried.
“We’ve been here 30 years. We expect to be here another 30 years,” said Isaac Kalderon, 42, the manager of Glatt Mart on Avenue M. “When you’re here this long, people know what you are and what you’re about.”
“[Pomegranate] is just another fish in the ocean here,” said Yesocher Vidr, 57, who works behind the register at Schreiber’s Home Style Bakery on Avenue M.
And while Pomegranate’s milk, ground beef and other staples are competitively priced – a half gallon of Tropicana orange juice costs 50 cents more at Glatt Mart – shoppers may balk at its gourmet prices.
The homemade cheeses, for example, cost up to $14.99 a pound – about twice as much as prepackaged cheeses elsewhere.
“Everyone is really struggling [financially], and the idea that the supermarket will open with really high prices is not what people are looking for,” said Chanie Bodenstein, 38, a nurse from Midwood.
Abraham Banda, the owner of Pomegranate, is confident.
“I feel that the Orthodox community is ready for high-end food,” said Banda, a Hasidic Jew from Williamsburg. “You come here to get the best of everything and the best service.
“It’s not your regular schlocky store.”
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21 Responses
This new grocery store is the same as a home depo or lowes opens up in a area there is other small lumber store’s
Wishing Pomegranate much success, there are many waiting till the doors open to enjoy a service oriented enterprise. If it works for you, shop there, if not, not!!
“entire block”?
Seems like the NYT wen’t don there. They don’t even take up half!
Isn’t this a frum site? Has anybody heard of the idea that Hashem runs the world and you can’t take away anybody’s parnoso? True stores have closed due to competition but mostly it was because their customers weren’t very happy anyway. Glatt Mart et al are quite entrenched and are selling to the residents of Midwood as a whole. Most of whom are not upscale conscious Syrians who must have aged ribsteak. Glatt Mart’s ribsteaks will continue to sell very nicely at half the price of aged meat.
Just what Klal Yisroel needs.
Another thing taken up one more notch.
The madness never ends.
When non kosher chicken costs $1.50 a lb or chopped beaf costs $2.50 a lb or cholov stam costs $4.00 a gallon and you add on 30% for “organic or homegrown” it is not that bad but when you start with prices that are already 50% higher unless you pay with food stamps who can afford it.
to number 4- the halacha of not opening two stores on the same street with the same merchandise does not apply to food, since food is so commonly bought, competition does not hurt the other’s parnosa – this is a different kind of store than glatt mart, with a different aim, so I dont think it’s an issue of taking away a yid’s parnosa – plus, shuls and the like use glatt mart, chap a nosh, etc.., and they’re not going to change just becsuse there’s something new ut there(especially a store that’s more expensive!)
to #4 — u seem to feel confident regarding halachos of competition but the comment on Syrians makes it sound like you have a bone to pick with them.
Aged meat? Does anyone know exactly how that works if you have to rinse the meat every 72 hours?
# 4 it’s interesting how u stereotype syrians. maybe you don’t know this but not every syrian is wealthy. I happen to be Syrian & I dont know how well this store will be, especially after they inverted 2 years. & millions of dollars. it may take then longer then expected to make their money back. I wish then a lot of luck & i advise u to learn more about the Syrians & any other group before u stereotype.
Ah. I hear a new shidduch question coming. “So, do they shop at Pomegranate?”
Next, they’ll put in the Tanaa’im that the young couple should be given enough $ to shop there for the first x years. Pretty soon, people will be “leaving evidence” of shopping there all over their Shabbos tables and Kiddushim for everyone to compete with. Hooray!
I don’t know what all the fuss about this store opening up is all about. I don’t live in that neighborhood, but, if I did, I would probably go in out of curiosity and then continue to shop wherever the best prices were like before.Where I live, there are many stores that I never even went into even once and I and those stores are here many years.
# 4 — i guess 6 million jews is not enough…keep making fun of other jews..and cause another holocaust ..its gonna get you far .and i like the way you think you know everything…
Rinsing a beef fore quarter or ribs every 72 hours doesn’t take away from the aging process. But it might take away from our definition of glatt. And if it’s kashered within 72 hours, is real aging as the non-kosher knows it. Also, another method of kashering is by broiling, and that can be done at any time.
BS”D
May Mr Banda have much success, and may more and more Yidden be gebensched with the parnosso beharchavo necessary to purchase his $23.99 a pound steaks.
Seems to me that this supermarket will be the place to go for special occasions and where those who need unusual foods and ingredients will be able to get them. He won’t drive any well run discounter out of business, and the neighborhood grocers and bakers will always win on convenience.
Ani Tapuach and I always have competition from the Reemon (pomegrante) at the Rosh Hashona table and despite that I still get Shem Umalchus! May we all have sweetness and Zchusim K’reemon!!
in regards to 4. and your syrian comment i find it reprehensible that a new store gives you another reason to throw out the halachot bein adam l’chavero which are at least as important bein adam l’makom, or are you from the kind of world that has your own Torah?
its seems that major investments have been made, the bets are in. now when it opens we will see who is right.its wonderful that you could get specialty foods in brooklyn. why the need of such a big store. i dont think that it will remain a specialty shop. to survive they will need bread and butter, ithink that it will end up as a big supermarket.of course, parking if available will it a competetive clout , if it is provided.
#12 squeak is 100% right.
as cherrybim says, you can broil meat anytime. however, for some reason, vaad-im do not trust us to broil meat. (or they want to protect their big clients — the meat houses; similar to some vaad-im who tell restaurants/take-outs who to buy from for nonkashrus reasons).
by the way, spraying water within 72 hours only helps once, for another 72 hours — total 144 hours; real aged meat is at least 30 days old!
Mayer Gold, the manager, is one of the sweetest, kindest, good hearted people I know. We wish him the best of luck. As a member of the shul that he is president of, I now look forward to kiddushim with aged beef rib steaks and high-end chulent. Mayer- you are the pomegranate of Far Rockaway.
Spraying water? I’m no kashrus expert, but I thought that is only necessary to keep the blood from congealing. Once the meat has been salted and the blood removed this is no longer a problem. No?