CORONA — A large supermarket with aisles of international food and large produce and seafood sections has opened in LeFrak City.
Great Wall took over a 30,000-square-foot space at 56-19 99th St. after nearly four years of renovations that included foundation and roof work, according to manager Edward Wu and Kathy Caputo, from LeFrak City's commercial development.
The developers combined six stores, moving a barber shop and an insurance company to build out a huge space to accommodate a supermarket.
Although there is a Food Bazaar on Junction Boulevard, on the other end of the complex, Caputo said it was important they found the space for another market.
"It's a wonderful amenity not just for LeFrak City but for the surrounding neighborhoods," she said.
Great Wall opened its first shop 15 years ago and has expanded to include 11 stores on the east coast, including two in Flushing, Wu said.
While the shop focuses on Asian cuisine and imports, it took the neighborhood's diversity into consideration when building in Corona.
"This area is a very mixed area, so it's more like an international supermarket," he said, noting that the store has Russian and Latino food sections in addition to Asian items.
There is also a large fresh seafood section, likely the largest in the neighborhood, he said.
There's also rooftop parking accessed on 99th Street and 57th Avenue, behind the Chase Bank.
As the store continues, it'll look to take customer suggestions into consideration to stock what they want.
"We will changing them for what people need," Wu said.
