Finally! Fresh Fanatic, an organic grocery store, will open in the long-empty retail space inside the Chocolate Factory building in Wallabout.
CHB got a sneak preview of the space on Wednesday morning as the groceries were being arranged on the shelves.
Owner Andrew Goldin lives in the building and has a degree in hospitality management. That experience, combined with world travel to many of the globe’s best markets, led to the unique experience that is to be Fresh Fanatic. Goldin says that the store will eventually boast an impressive range of international foods – Thai, Japanese and even Russian. They’ve already ordered bread from Germany.
Fresh and organic it will be, but Goldin promises it will be much less expensive than Whole Foods. He also promises the most reasonable prices on prepared foods in the tri-state region.
Goldin’s hospitality background has certainly influenced the store’s features. Already planned are a fresh pasta counter, sushi bar and an on-site nutritionist. A seafood counter will feature a tank of live fish that can be killed and cleaned on-site by staff (lobster, crab and possibly tuna is planned for now). Digital menu boards will display food facts throughout the store, and fresh produce, meat and a gigantic cheese dept round out the offerings.
I saw a little bit of everything going onto the shelves: organic, vegan, gluten-free and regular run-of-the-mill products as well.
The store will also sell garden plants and offer a 24-hour coffee window.
I am really excited to see how this place turns out. Will it really be affordable? Will the prepared food really be the best in the tri-state area? If you live in Wallabout, you are in for a treat. (Or at the very least, a very unique shopping experience!)
As for me, I will probably stick to my little Associated on Waverly for my day-to-day grocery needs. (A coworker and neighbor wondered aloud this morning if FF would be able to beat the 15-limes-for-a-dollar Associated special.) But if this place is a mini-Fairway with great service, I will be making regular stops.
Soft Opening: today or tomorrow
Grand Opening: Tuesday, August 18
Fresh Fanatic
275 Park Ave @ Washington
www.freshfanatic.com
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36 Comments
Hoping it does well. Friend lives in building and can’t wait. I don’t think I will go there I live a little to far away but will definately like to check it out. I wonder how the prices are.
This is a good option for those living on that side which seems like no man’s land.If they have fresh bread,pastries and a little area for sitting I will make the trek over there to support them and check it out.
It’s great to see something finally open in that space although I would have preferred a regular grocery store over one that is exclusively organic.
[...] Hill Blog also provides a sneak preview the morning of the soon-to-open Fresh Fanatic organic grocery inside the old chocolate factory (see [...]
[...] Hill Blog also provides a sneak preview the morning of the soon-to-open Fresh Fanatic organic grocery inside the old chocolate factory (see [...]
Fifteen limes for a dollar?!? I feel a gin and tonic fest coming on!!
looks pricey.
[...] Avenue, on August 18, and the owner promises prices will be cheaper than at Whole Foods. [Clinton Hill Blog] Lower East Side: We’ve heard of unlimited-mimosa brunches, but starting this weekend, Azul [...]
Open one of these on fulton and you make a killing!
Hi Sweet Baby Jesus,
I have a question. This is an honest-to-God, not condescending question. How does this store look pricey? I’m curious because my wife and I want to open a store that serves good quality foods from local farmers and neighbors (we strive to keep more $$ in the hood), and one of our most important goals is to make our store as inviting as possible to everyone. We don’t want to look “too pricey” and scare away the very people that make up our neighborhood. So, in all seriousness, please help me.
Thanks.
Tom,
I thought the same thing as Sweet Baby Jesus. I think it’s because of the dark wood and because the refrigerated beverage section is up at the front of the store. Somehow that sections just looks “pricey”.
The word organic makes the store look pricey. It’s weird but true I work in advertising so specialty words like organic have a connotation of being expensive. It’s some what true you pay for quality the trick is not to overpay for quality. You don’t want to feel you are being taking advantage of just because a store carries mostly or all organic products. I can’t wait to get inside. I was on a bike ride today and I rode by pressed my face up against the window and was very impressed on the decor and guess what I thought it looked pricey but hey I will pay for quality food. Better than getting sick from the meat at the Met (discussed in previous article) So when does it open? I was so excited to get a peak I didn’t even find out when the grand opening was.
How fresh can bread shipped from Germany be?
the produce looks stellar
We went in on Friday when they were testing out their systems, and I gotta tell ya the organic bananas we got were a good deal! The guys couldn’t have been nicer, said they may be open for real on Monday.
CAN HARDLY WAIT TO BUY THINGS THAT WERE STOCKED ALREADY… BUT NOT OPEN TILL MONDAY? SOUNDS FRESH.
It appeared to be open Saturday (in retrospect, I think it was not…?), so I went in to purchase a few items. They were not fully stocked yet, but I was really excited by what was already on the shelves. The main thing that stood out for me was the staff behind the cheese and seafood counters, as well as the cashier, were all very welcoming. The cheese counter in particular was well stocked and the guy working there seemed knowledgeable. This gives me high hopes for this store.
Having said that, there were many kinks related to things not on the shelves, not priced, having no credit card processing, etc. I am going to chalk this up to them maybe not being open (though it should be clear whether you are open or not–and the doors flung open means open, right?). Moulard duck breasts were $20 apiece, which is not scandalous but not exactly a bargain either. The produce and other items seemed priced much better. The overall experience reminded me somewhat of Garden of Eden, which stocks a lot of discount gourmet items while also having high-end stuff available.
I am really happy to have this store in my building. I can almost not contain myself over the prospect of the 24 hour coffee window. The only thing that freaks me out a little is all the talk of nutritionists, online experiences, digital menu boards, etc. Foremost I just want a really awesome food store; I don’t want it to be like the sketchy business on the other side of the building that still can’t decide if it’s a spa or a restaurant or a bar or a nightclub… As long as it’s focused on high quality food for reasonable prices, I think FF will knock it out of the park.
Thanks Moon & Sunny.
Sunny – as you are in advertising, may I bend your ear for an email or two? Trying to see if other buzzwords may turn people off.
Thanks.
Tom
poormansversion AT gmail DOT com
I’m excited by the opening of the store as it will be much nicer being able to pick up some quality items on the main floor of my building versus trekking down to Fairway or over to Perelandra.
Since it seems like the store’s owner and/or manager have been reading these comments I will have to add that I am concerned about the stench from the garbage on Waverly Avenue as well as the fact that don’t have a compactor or dumpster to contain all of the garbage.
The store looks wonderful and I would disagree about “organic have a connotation of being expensive.” Organic does not equal expensive to me, in my view it equals better tasting. Just my 2 cents. I hope to find a lot of local produce as that is a priority for my fruits and veggies.
It looks pricey because it is pricey.
Stopped in today for sandwich fixin’s. Wowsa. Was too expensive. Walked to Associated.
Don’t get me wrong. i like the store. The layout is clean and efficient. The employees were friendly and eager to help, but aside from “fancy” cheese or nicer food items for entertaining or gifts… I don’t see myself shopping here on a regular basis.
Freshdirect for bulk or heavy items.
Associated for week to week
And FF for special events.
Moneys too tight nowadays for German Bread. lol
I stopped by yesterday to see what the store had to offer and was very pleased. THe produce was excellent and they had a great selection. I tried the fresh sushi and was impressed. If you are a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods patron, live in or around Fort Green, Clinton Hill, or Bedstuy you should definitely buy your groceries here instead of making the trek to Park Slope or Brooklyn Heights. On the corner of Park and Washington go shop enjoy!!!!
Overall, not expensive at all! Filled two big bags of gorgeous produce, cheese, meat and other items for about 25 bucks. The meat in particular was fresh and about five dollars a pound (served by a friendly counter). Sure some stuff is pricey but the vast majority is not. A$$ociated’s produce is a joke – this place is 50-75% of A$$’s price and way more fresh – fanatically fresh, even. Very excited this place is here.
I went today and they were out on the street giving away free shopping bags with their logo on them to neighborhood people. They seem very intent on pleasing locals. The place is really nice. An organic avocado was only 25 cents more than a regular one. Everything was fresh and attractive. I’m so glad it is here. They make a lot of things there to take away, like delicious looking soups and different kinds of meatballs.They grind their own meat!! etc. Yay!
My wife went by the other day and was very pleased although I thought $5 for the bread she bought was expensive.
I really love this store more every time I go. They are still ramping up (sounds like it will be a couple weeks before they are fully stocked), and they even asked me if I had any special requests when I was paying for my coffee & cereal this morning. I don’t find staple items to be overpriced at all (eggs were $3.50, organic grapefruit juice $6.95, cereal $5.29). In comparison, I know the fresh Odwalla grapefruit juice at Associated is at least $9. When you compare apples to apples, I think FF is actually cheaper–just don’t compare limes to limes
622, that’s your opinion and it’s valid. Just letting you know advertising for organic food products which I have done. We literally call things organic so the client can charge more. Words like all natural, organic, and farm raised are buzz word in the food sales industry. This is how specialty foods can charge more not just cause of this but because to actually cultivate anything that is all natural and organic it cost more money so the food needs to be marked up more just to be able to make back the margin of the cost to produce that specific product. Now there are FDA laws and it’s kind of wishy washy because to use the word organic is not regulated as much at the words “all natural” You can get around these things so don’t think all products marketed this way are 100% organic or natural but they can charge for it. Again this is my advertising and marketing knowledge on food advertising which is only one aspect of what I work on in advertising. If someone can tell me what organic product they purchased was cheap I will be impressed. If it is indeed cheap than I can bet you it’s not really organic.
Sorry this in no way puts down the store. I pay for quality the words described in my post above have a connotation of quality and I am 100% for quality. I can’t wait to go to the store. I also read that the sandwiches were expensive I don’t usually buy pre-made food I enjoy making it myself so I can’t wait to see what they have to offer. I may go today after work.
Went for the first time today. Just so you know where I’m coming from, I have Fresh Direct delivered 2x a week b/c I’m too bsuy and/or lazy and they’re decent (but not great.) I’d love to go to Fairway regularly, since they’re the best in Brooklyn, but it’s just too much time and hassle for now.
Having lived in San Francisco for 10 years, I know what a good grocery store should be, and I detest Whole Foods. Their food is usually decent, but it’s priced artificially high. I also know that the term Organic is mostly a joke. Much more important is whether the food is fresh and local, as many good independent farmers in N.Cal would not pay the fees to be inspected and listed as “organic” but regularly had produce MUCH better than the organic section in Whole Foods (and that didn’t, in fact, use chemical pesticides, etc.)
So first visit to Fresh Fanatic. Small store, but a decent selection. It’s certainly not Fairway, but it’s not a bodega either. I think I could get pretty much everything I need there.
Prices are reasonable. Certainly you might be able to get a better deal on a street corner fruit vender, but with most of this stuff, it costs what it costs. People complaining about the cost are likely just not used to eating good food. Humbolt Fog cheese or Fage yogurt is not cheap anywhere you get it. Cheese selection was fairly good. Steaks looked good. Ground lamb was dirt cheap. Had some specialities like low-fat goat’s milk, which was a nice surprise. The deli meat selection was fantastic. Deli cheese was ok – a little too many prepackaged items for my taste, but a good selection overall.
The fish looked pretty good. I’ll wait to taste it to post. I have to say, the fresh bread was NOT good. I know it’s really hard to make a baguette, and it’s certainly no worse than you’d get at associated, but to be perfectly honest, it seemed about the same. A long way to go there – but I only tried one type. I assume whole grains and thicker breads will fare better, as they usually do.
Produce was good except for bananas – surprising, but they looked old. I picked up much better ones for cheap at Tejeda on De Kalb (fair trade, even) along with my tortillas. Would be great to get everything at one place.
Overall impression: as of Aug 20, they were obviously still ramping up, and a little low on stock of some things, so I’d be gentle for the first few weeks. But on the basis of my first visit, I’m going to be very tempted to cancel my fresh direct account and start shopping here full time.
I went by with my girlfriend today and caught my attention to see so little on prepared foods and empty areas of the market, as if your were going out of business or not ready for it yet.
I wish you start bringing prepared foods and take that chicken and potatoes out of the shelves, it does not go with what you talk.
Very nice building.
Awful food display.
Coffee tasted old.
Raw fish looked old (by color and shine)
Prices are high overall as I don’t look at 25 cents chips but serious foods that you do not have.
There is nothing ti say you stand up for, it is a mix if many things but all average and pricy.
The staff does not know how to help a customer
I just came back from trying to shop at that store.
Its is a very nice place, but the food suck.
The bread, they say they make it and it is hard as a rock; maybe yesterday’s that did not sell and want not to throw away.
There is employees or owners yelling at each other in front of customers.
I felt unconfortable when one of them comes to me and gets pushy on me to buy something.
WENT TO ASSOCIATED where I trust.
Something hiding or wrong about this place, people
Looks like some reach family could not make a professional out of their kids and they gave them a new toy: a supermarket.
Its a joke!
Avocados were shriveled and old. Seafood looked dried out. Food seemed randomly thrown into bins while other bins and tables stood empty. Weird vibe from owners standing around. Place feels sketchy–why bother going to the effort if this is the first impression you’re going to leave?
I live upstairs from this market,
We have been waiting to have a market in our building so we would not walk to Myrtle.
Very dissapointing to see that after such long waiting (because they have been announcing their opening since March)the store is overall expensive and I see the same foods overnight and day again on the shelves.
They are not selling enough, but they are not rotating the food, they are keeping it and selling old or hard breads.
WRONG way to conduct business.
I don’t see how they could last unless they really stand for their name “FRESH”, which right now is the opposite.
What a waste, I am upset that having a “food market” downstairs, I have to get my milk elsewhere.
A great place to go for those who enjoy paying 30% more than they would at any other store in the neighborhood.
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