Fairway Market Coming To Pelham Manor's Post Road Plaza

Fairway Market, the fullservice gourmet supermarket renowned for its fresh produce and prepared foods and groceries, is coming to Pelham Manor.

Owners of the popular gourmet grocery store have signed a lease for 75,000 square feet at Post Road Plaza in Pelham Manor, in a transaction negotiated by Levin Management Corporation, the property's exclusive leasing and managing agent. Harry Malakoff represented the tenant. The previous major tenant in the shopping center was Kmart.

"We researched a number of potential sites before choosing Post Road Plaza," said Howie Glickberg, one of Fairway Market's owners and grandson of the founder. "This center has a superb location with outstanding accessibility and has long been a destination for millions of sophisticated shoppers in the region who will certainly enjoy our fine foods and services. It is especially gratifying to be opening a Fairway Market in Westchester County where I have lived with my family for the past 26 years."

Pelham Manor Mayor Tom Lavin said: "Fairway is precisely the type of tenant we have been working hard to bring to Pelham Manor. A number of attractive retailers have expressed interest in locating here but haven't committed; now Fairway has.

"As a regional draw, they will attract customers from an extended trade area along the Sound Shore and north to Scarsdale and beyond. Their choice validates the location for other specialty retailers and we are hopeful that it will encourage others to locate here. Fairway's tenancy will accelerate re-leasing at Post Road Plaza and additional development on the remaining parcels in our former industrial area." the mayor continued. "As the Acadia project approaches its opening and we celebrate the Fairway lease, our retail vision is finally becoming a reality."

Located at the intersection of Pelham Parkway and Boston Post Road (US 1), adjacent to the Hutchinson River Parkway, the 268,000-square-foot Post Road Plaza is undergoing a total renovation. The changes are planned to give the plaza an updated and upscale look, in keeping with the renaissance now underway in this historic neighborhood.

"The renovation will set the stage for an exciting new chapter in the evolution of this center," said Matthew Harding, president of Levin Management. "Many of our stores will be reopening as the first phase of the renovation wraps later this year. These include Modell's, which will open an improved and upgraded store; Dress Barn, which plans to expand its premises; as well as A.J. Wright, Mandee's and others." CitiBank and the parking area for OTB, have remained open during the Con Ed remediation project.

Pelham Manor will be the supermarket's sixth location. The first Fairway Market opened in the 1930s as a fruit and vegetable stand on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and soon became a neighborhood icon. In 1995, Fairway opened a large supermarket in Harlem, drawing shoppers from around the New York metropolitan area. That was followed by an opening on Long Island in 2001 and in Brooklyn in 2006. Another new store is planned to open next year in Paramus, N.J.

Offering a variety of superior quality fresh food from around the globe at reasonable prices, Fairway is "Like No Other Market" as its slogan reads. In addition to grocery offerings, the new Post Road Plaza store will include a restaurant café.

Post Road Plaza has long been one of the area's leading shopping centers, serving the surrounding communities of Pelham Manor, Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle and the northern Bronx. The anchor space was originally occupied by Korvette's, then Candor's and most recently Kmart.

Levin Management Corporation has handled leasing and property management of the center since it was built. The firm is currently marketing prime retail space on both the first and second levels of Post Road Plaza.

"Shoppers are really passionate about Fairway, and it will make a terrific new anchor for Post Road Plaza," said Harding. "It offers quality products and excellent value, definitely appealing qualities for the more than one million people who live within a five mile radius of the shopping center."

Across Pelham Parkway from the Post Road Plaza center is a new retail center being built by Acadia/Slayton Associates. Home Depot is the anchor store there. Other tenants will include Circuit City, Sleepy's, Game Stop and Post Storage. Additional tenants are still being sought.

Fairway representatives will give a presentation at the Pelham Manor Board of Trustees meeting on May 12.

Architectural plans and other details of the proposal is expected to be referred to the Pelham Manor Planning Board for review. The Planning Board recommendations will then be reviewed by the Village Board before it gives final approval to the project.

This is part of the May 9, 2008 online edition of The Pelham Weekly.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you. Click here.