Eagle Provisions, the Polish market at the corner of 5th Avenue and 18th street in Park Slope, had tremendous staying power. The shop first opened its doors in 1939, and it survived monumental shifts in neighborhood demographic in the 76 years it's done business.
When it was announced last summer that the building that houses Eagle had gone on the market for a cool nine million dollars, the neighborhood held its breath. The Eagle's proprietors sought investors to go in on the property in orderto keep the place in business, but with a slew of rising business expenses and a zoning designation that would allow prospective buyers to substantially increase the size and value of the building, this possibility was always a long shot.
Though not unexpected, it was sad news for Park Slope residents when Eagle provisions announced this week that it will be closing in six weeks (though South Slope News reports that it may be more like two months, with an anticipated closing date of June 4th).
Eagle will be closing in six weeks
— Eagle Provisions Co. (@EagleProvisions) April 6, 2015The shop, which sells a whopping 2,500 different beers as well as traditional Polish dishes including kielbasa and potato pancakes, has a loyal fan base which was dismayed to hear the news.
@EagleProvisions NOOOOOOOOO
— Josh Sobel (@sobeljosh) April 6, 2015@EagleProvisions Terrible news... Why are you closing? #SaveNYC
— Emmett Burke (@Emmett217) April 7, 2015@EagleProvisions so sad to see you guys go! Will miss you.
— Ryan Fritzsche (@Ryanfritzsche) April 8, 2015Sad to hear that @EagleProvisions on 5th Ave. and 18th St. will be closing in 6 weeks. We'll certainly miss all that beer... #parkslope
— Savor the Slope (@savortheslope) April 7, 2015It remains to be seen what kind of business will take Eagle's place in the building, though it seems very unlikely that anything will be able to fill its shoes, or its place in the hearts of its customer base.
