Letter to The Editor: Brighton Beach Bazaar Needs Less Discount, More Food

Received in response to our article about the opening of the much anticipated Big Bazaar in Brighton Beach, that locals hoped would fill the void created by the closing of The Met food store.

Editor:

For over a year Brighton Beach residents have anticipated the opening of a new supermarket to replace the Met store on Brighton Beach Avenue near Ocean Parkway.

We were told that we’d have a regular grocery store for those local residents whose needs aren’t served by the Russian markets in the area. What we were expecting was something like a Key Food, with the normal wide range of food products found in such stores.

Instead, what we have is an oversized discount store. Half of the store is indeed filled with home goods, all of which can be found at either the large or narrow discount stores on the avenue; the grocery half of the store is also like an expanded version of the groceries found in the small discount stores.

There is very little variety, as a quick look at the milk and ice creams will attest to; and forget about soy milk and non-dairy ice creams, both of which could be found at the Met in multiple brands.

As well, the store is filled with the Russian products which it was supposed to provide alternatives to. It was a gift to the neighborhood that the owners prevented this building from becoming a high-rise, but the real gift the neighborhood, and all of Southern Brooklyn, needed was a Trader Joe’s.

This store won’t last long, so hopefully someday all of those I see on the subway heading south with Trader Joe’s bag will have a shorter trip.

Mike Naylon
Brighton Beach