J A N U A R Y 10
L E H A V R E
N E W S
Photos by Jenna Bagcal/THE COURIER
North Shore Farms finally
opens for business
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A long-awaited Long Island-based
supermarket is finally up and running
in Whitestone.
North Shore Farms, located at 153-
01 10th Ave., had its grand opening at
9 a.m. on Dec. 14 after months of setbacks
delayed original plans. The new
location is North Shore Farms’ eighth
location and its first in Queens.
Lines stretched from the checkout
counters almost to the end of the shopping
center when doors opened this morning
and the first 10 customers received $25
North Shore Farms gift cards.
“We’re excited to bring North Shore
Farms to Whitestone and to Queens,”
said George Tsiatis, a spokesman for
the company. “Our Great Neck store
was close, but there’s nothing like
being in the heart of a vibrant community
like Whitestone. We’re lucky to
have had the support of the community
and we look forward to serving them
now and in the future.”
The store is a one-stop shop for locally
sourced foods and features a fresh produce
section, baked goods fresh seafood
and meat selections, a large array of
cheeses and ready-to-eat prepared foods.
Local vendors will also showcase cooking
demonstrations in store.
On Thursday, Dec. 13, store owners
held a commemorative preview celebration,
store blessing and ribbon cutting.
Guests were invited to sample a
range of store offerings including fresh
sushi, steak and sandwiches.
Also in attendance was Queens
Chamber of Commerce President and
CEO Thomas Grech, leaders of the We
Love Whitestone Civic Association,
NYPD Community Affairs Office,
along with representatives from local
churches and nonprofit organizations
and other civic leaders.
10 LEHAVRE COURIER | JANUARY 2019 | WWW.QNS.COM
Local religious leaders including
Bishop Apostolos of Medeia, Father
Dionysios Anagnostopoulos of Holy
Cross, Father John Lardas and Father
Dennis Strouzas of Archangel Michael,
Father Nektarios Papazafiropoulos of
St. Demetrios Cathedral and Father
Gerasimos presided over a traditional
Greek Orthodox blessing an
“Agiasmo” for a successful business.
Following the blessing, Grech welcomed
store owners to the neighborhood
on behalf of the borough and
offered his services if they ever needed
anything.
“On behalf of our 2.4 million people,
many of whom are Greek, welcome to
Queens,” Grech said. “The small businesses
of our country are the backbone
of our country. Lots of our electeds
and other folks give lots of lip service
to that, but we know how hard you all
work to provide for your families.”
Residents heard that the store
would fill the old Waldbaum’s space
at Whitestone Plaza back in October
2016, with the original opening date
slated for summer 2017. But the highend
supermarket’s opening was pushed
back due to construction and extensive
renovations.
When Waldbaums closed in
November 2015, residents were left
without a local supermarket but were
apprehensive about having to pay North
Shore Farm’s higher prices. They drafted
a petition and submitted it to the Feil
Organization who owns the complex
where North Shore Farms is located.
On Saturday, Dec. 22, Maria Zoitas
of the renowned Made by Maria brand
held a book signing in the store for her
new cookbook “Made with Love.”
North Shore Farms in Whitestone is
open seven days a week from 7 a.m.
to 10 p.m.
North Shore Farms ribbon cutting in Whitestone.
/WWW.QNS.COM
