Feb. 23, 2021 By Michael Dorgan
A grocery store that sells a range of conventional and organic foods will open in a new high-rise office building in Long Island City Wednesday.
City Acres Market will open inside The JACX – a 26-story two-tower building located at 28-07 Jackson Ave. – after months of delays due to the pandemic.
The company, which focuses on internationally and domestically sourced items, will take up a 9,000 square foot area on the ground floor of the structure that is situated on the corner of Queens Plaza South and Jackson Avenue.
The modern and spacious store was originally scheduled to open in December but there were delays in paperwork, inspections and obtaining a certificate of occupancy, according to store manager Jordan Elian.
City Acres Market will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Sundays and is expected to have its official grand opening in the middle of March. Opening hours will run the same after the official opening, he said.
Elian said that the store will cater to all food tastes and all demographics – including the growing Asian population that lives in the area.
There will be a wide range of natural, vegan and organic foods on offer and a New Jersey-based Korean restaurant called Madang will be located in the space that will have a take-out counter there.
“Hungry or thirsty you’ll find almost everything here for all demographics,” Elian said.
The opening will mark the company’s third city location following on from its Brooklyn and Manhattan stores. The company will employ 60 people at the Long Island City store, Elian said.
The Long Island City store has 13 aisles located in the center of the space that are made up of dry food options and some cleaning supplies as well as personal care items.
There are two additional frozen foods sections as well as an alcohol aisle that will sell an extensive selection of beers including Long Island City-produced craft beer. Elian said that store is still waiting on its liquor license before it will be able to sell alcohol.
On the Jackson Avenue side of the store, there is a large fresh fruit and vegetable section that has a considerable amount of organic produce. There is also a juice bar, a bulk nuts section and a bakery with bread baked each day.
On the opposite side of the store there is a delicatessen that will offer both fresh and prepared wraps and sandwiches.
The delicatessen will sell prepared meals and will also provide outside catering services, Elian said.
There is also a bulk coffee and candy section as well as a fromagerie – which Elian is particularly excited about.
“We have a massive selection of cheeses from all over the world that are competitively priced,” Elian said.
In addition, there is also a salad bar, a hot food bar and an olive bar. However, they will remain closed until March, when the official grand opening takes place.
The rear perimeter wall consists of dairy fridges, a fish counter and a butcher that will sell grass-fed meats from premium brands like Sterling Silver and Dartagnan.
There is an indoor seating area at the front of the store that faces Queens Plaza South. It will seat around 30 people but Elian said it will also remain closed due to indoor dining restrictions. The front of the building is made up of all glass windows and doors.
Elian said that the store will also offer online deliveries through third-party vendors Instacart and Mercato at a future date. He hopes the store will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood and appeal to everyone.
Elian, who has 15 years of experience in managing stores, said the company is taking all necessary precautions to keep staff and customers safe from contracting the coronavirus.
All store-users will be required to wear masks, social distancing rules will be in place and there will be hand sanitizer dispensers at the store’s entrance.
Furthermore, all staff will have their temperatures taken before they punch-in to start work, he said.
“We want consumers and staff to know that they are safe here and that we care about their safety and well-being.”
One Comment
This photo shot must have cost a FORTUNE. They can’t leave this food on the shelf until March Can they?