Village Gourmet Doesn't Live To See The High Line

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Manhattan retail giveth and it taketh away; the day the High Line opened to the public?thereby giving added value to the retailers near its access points?we noticed that the Village Gourmet had vacated.

Snuggled in next to Earnest Sewn on Washington Street, it's no wonder that a mini market couldn't survive, but what will come of the space? Already Earnest Sewn's backroom is behind the store, so will they opt to expand? More likely we can expect another brand new to New York to join the Meatpacking fold, such as Vince and Zadig & Voltaire have done recently.

The loss of Village Gourmet is doubly sad now that the High Line is open and the 8th Avenue Balducci's is also donezo, as visitors will want somewhere to grab a water or snacks for noshing up top. There's always Nonno Gourmet a block south at Washington and Horatio, but somehow we doubt tourists will think to walk that way.
· Empty Balducci's photo [Racked]