MURRAY HILL — Another neighborhood grocery store bites the dust.
The D'Agostino at East 35th Street and Third Avenue closed on Saturday, the latest in a string of closures and job cuts at the family-owned grocery chain.
D’Agostino, which calls itself “New York’s original grocer,” has been been in financial trouble in recent years, according to reports. The D'Agostino empire, which had 26 stores in the city and in Westchester at its peak, according to the New York Post, has shrunk to just nine stores, all in Manhattan.
The chain announced in February that, of those remaining stores, it could eventually close up another three and slash dozens of jobs at others, according to a report.
The East 35th Street store was on a list of locations where the chain was cutting jobs, along with a nearby D’Agostino at 341 Third Ave. between East 25th and East 26th streets, where executives said up to 40 jobs could disappear, according to a report in February.
It was not immediately clear how many workers lost their jobs in the closing of the East 35th Street store. Representatives of the chain did not return requests for comment, nor did a representative of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500, the union representing D'Agostino workers.
The building's landlord, Solil Management, declined to comment.
D'Agostino is not alone in its financial straits. Regional supermarket chain A&P filed for bankruptcy last year, which put numerous supermarkets like Food Emporium in jeopardy across the city.
For residents of Murray Hill, the closure of the East 35th Street store means neighbors will have to walk several blocks further to do their shopping. The closest alternatives are D’Agostino at East 38th Street and Third Avenue and a Gristedes at East 32nd Street and Third Avenue.
For Tom Grannell, a resident of the area for nearly 20 years, the closure of the D’Agostino closest to his home means a bit more hassle on shopping days.
“I shopped here a lot because it’s the closest to my home,” he said. “I’m certainly going to miss it.”
