By Bill Parry
A gigantic supermarket has opened on Northern Boulevard where Long Island City, Sunnyside and Astoria come together.
The new Food Bazaar, at 47-02 Northern Blvd., is 61,000 square feet, with 5,500 square feet for the produce section alone. There are also deli, bakery and seafood sections that feature live lobsters and crabs. Other amenities include five aisles devoted to foreign foods, with products from Poland, Greece, Japan, Korea, Peru, Ecuador and other nations. Food Bazaar also sports street-level and underground parking. The supermarket replaced a Pathmark that closed in 2012.
The supermarket was able to open in time for the holidays with the help of a city agency called the Business Acceleration Team. It streamlines the bureaucratic process that each new business must deal with when it comes to permits and inspections by numerous agencies. The acceleration team has helped 255 restaurants open throughout Queens since 2010, contributing to the employment of employ 2,477 workers throughout the borough, according to the team’s executive director, Robinson Hernandez.
“This is the first supermarket we’ve done with a newly expanded program,” he said. “And it allowed the store to open 77 days earlier than scheduled.”
Hernandez said each qualified business gets a project manager who coordinates permits and schedules with a myriad of government agencies, like the city Department of Buildings, the city Board of Health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and even the city Fire Department.
“We smooth down the bumps to make it an easier road for these businesses,” said Hernandez.
The Food Bazaar project had particular significance for Hernandez.
“I grew up eight blocks away in Astoria and as kids we always hung out at the old Pathmark. It was always an icon for us, so yeah, I was excited about this project,” he said.
Food Bazaar will employ 250 workers and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is the company’s sixth supermarket to open in Queens.
The store emphasizes community involvement, according to Suzanne Kuczun, the community relations manager.
“We’re very involved with City Harvest, donating food on a weekly basis,” she said. “We donate to organizations as well, be it schools or church groups. Whatever the needs of the community, we want to hear about it.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
