Wild Olive Market at 5th Avenue and East 125th Street has finally opened. They are not fully stocked yet but there's enough in the store to get most of the basic items one would need. The store is substantially staffed with a really friendly group of shopkeepers (which is rare to find in a lot of markets in the city). One side of the medium size space is divided with the seafood and meat counters while the other side has all the produce and dry goods (second photo). The seafood is all stocked at this point but the meat offering isn't quite all there yet. Produce wise, there are lots of organic salad options, and the fresh herbs are sold by the bunch at half the price of any other market in town. Another detail of note, for those on the go, were the self-serve coffee stations that weren't open yet today. The space is new and clean but has some nice classic touches like the store's original corinthian columns. The foot traffic in the area was quite good and many folks were wandering in to shop in the late afternoon. Check it out and support Harlem's new better market this weekend! Photos by Ulysses
Wild Olive Market at 5th Avenue and East 125th Street has finally opened. They are not fully stocked yet but there's enough in the store to get most of the basic items one would need. The store is substantially staffed with a really friendly group of shopkeepers (which is rare to find in a lot of markets in the city). One side of the medium size space is divided with the seafood and meat counters while the other side has all the produce and dry goods (second photo). The seafood is all stocked at this point but the meat offering isn't quite all there yet. Produce wise, there are lots of organic salad options, and the fresh herbs are sold by the bunch at half the price of any other market in town. Another detail of note, for those on the go, were the self-serve coffee stations that weren't open yet today. The space is new and clean but has some nice classic touches like the store's original corinthian columns. The foot traffic in the area was quite good and many folks were wandering in to shop in the late afternoon. Check it out and support Harlem's new better market this weekend! Photos by Ulysses
This is great. Can't wait to go Sunday.
ReplyDeletelooks gorgeous ... can't wait to see it ...
ReplyDeleteA great day in Harlem
ReplyDeleteThis is the start for many more beautiful things to come to 125th street and Harlem in general. Lets give these shops our business. But lets make them earn it at the same time.
ReplyDeleteTerrific store--shopped there this morning and will go back later to shop for dinner. Such a great addition to the neighborhood! Greek yogurt, good produce, fish counter, etc etc. Beats fighting the lines at Pathmark.
ReplyDeletehow are the prices?
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Awesome ! The prices are reasonable considering the great quality of the goods.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely feels like shopping in a mom and pop shop, which beats shopping at pathmark of fairway.
I have never understood the appeal of Fairway. I find neither their quality nor their prices to be worth the schlepp.
ReplyDeleteHip Hip Hurray!!!
ReplyDeleteI went there the first day and today, too. Great addition to the High Five neighborhood!
ReplyDelete9:06... What do you mean "Make them earn it"???
ReplyDeleteThere is NO comparison within a 20 block radius!!!
Sorry but they are not going to "Earn It" with benefit cards!!
9:53,
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant by making them "earn it" is that my money is good everywhere and anywhere. The service better be good. The prices have to be reasonable relative to what other grocers in Harlem charge. I don't want to pay $5 for a gallon of milk or $1 for a single orange.
My wife and I went to Chez Lucienne the past weekend and waited a good 15 mins before we were approached and asked for drinks. The service was horrible, the wine warm, and I still left a 20% tip. Next time I won't go because they didn't earn my 100 dollars.
i hear that sometimes chez lucienne is good, sometimes not. i personally have only been twice and had good experiences both times. to me its winning quality is the relaxed vibe. i went in olive market - it looks good so far but i live closer to best yet market and they have everything i need so i probably won't go out of my way to shop there.
ReplyDeleteRemember bagel in Harlem blogger who was on a quest to find bagels in Harlem, well Wild Olive on Saturday where selling 5 bagels for $1, how things have changed in Harlem in the last few years. As for Wild Olive, great store, great prices, great service and a breath of fresh air for 125th street.
ReplyDeleteanon @ 12:25pm, I wholeheartedly agree that Harlem businesses must provide a level of service on par with any other neighborhood in the city. Let me just say, however, that my experience with Chez Lucienne was the complete opposite to yours. The last time we went was for brunch early on a Sunday afternoon and it was wonderful. Delicious crepes. Of course, I have been in your shoes in the past (couple of other restaurants across the city) and it is a real pain in the arse. Would be a shame though for them to lose your business!
ReplyDeleteOh, and we just went to Five & Diamond over the weekend. Food was amazing & they had room for a stroller haha. Good stuff.
Oh, and Wild Oliver Market is brilliant. Friendly crowd behind the counter.
ReplyDeleteWas there Saturday night and will be there again tonight. Now -- for the first time in my life at Harlem -- I can go to a clean, service-oriented store when I step out of the train before heading home. The staff is great, prices good. I'm delighted!
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I are also super-excited about Wild Olive Market. We went twice over the weekend. Pathmark is cheaper, but Wild Olive is clean, uncluttered, much closer to where we live, the staff is friendly, the owner available for questions/requests and lastly...there is no 45 minute line to wait in!
ReplyDeleteanyone tried the prepared stuff? looked good through the glass but noticed the same stuff sat there saturay and sunday not really touched. seems like a great place to grab dinner on the way home from work but curious of others experiences?
ReplyDeleteAnon 1:55, you do raise a great point. I love the store, but as someone above said, let's make sure they continue to earn our business. I inquired about their butchered meats on Saturday, noting that they didn't have sell-by dates. The owner (nice guy) said that what was in the case was butchered Friday night. Obviously, that's great, but if you plastic wrap a piece of meat, I still expect a sell-by date. SO, just be aware ... all signs are good at Wild Olive, but definitely will need to watch over next few weeks to make sure that quality doesn't slide...
ReplyDeletesounds great! i'm guessing there's no parking in back or anything? parking is the only reason i go to fairway! :)
ReplyDeleteIf you need to travel by car, Fairway's probably the best bet. Wild Olive is great for those on foot in Central Harlem since there isn't really much else but Pathmark to go to.
ReplyDeleteWent today. Maybe it's just me but it seemed almost bodega-like. Sad veg with misspelled signs, half empty shelves, small selection.
ReplyDeleteDon't know about friendly staff as i didn't see anything I wanted and we slid on out.
Went in there this morning at about 1045 AM and they look like they were just opening. They weren't prepared and the customer service wasn't all that! The selections were very poor. Not much in the frozen foods dept and poor ice cream selection.
ReplyDeleteSorry All, I just don't see that this is a great place as you have made it out to be. I will stick with Fairway.
Went to the prepared foods last night (mother in law came by and we hadn't cooked!) -- the meatloaf was wonderful! Ditto the chicken fried rice and cous cous.
ReplyDeleteThis morning -- had a meeting in my home, so ran out for bagels and cream cheese and juice. Great crowd behind the counter. Just knowing that this place is there has made life a little better!
Was excited to see something new on 125. Shopped there on Sunday, 5/31. Selection was not great. Brought one packaged item that had expired in March. How does that happen in a store that's only been open a few weeks?
ReplyDeleteMixed experience tonight, stumbling on this new store. Most of the items I checked out had no price tags - hard to comparison shop if you don't know what you're going to be paying until you reach the check-out counter. If memory serves, bagels are now 3 for $1, which is still a good price. But I'm delighted there's another option for working parents in our neighborhood, and they sell just the right mix of organic/conventional to keep my family happy. Will go there again - or send my kid!
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the store? Tanisha mentioned new owners; it looked like they were starting renovations at one point; now it seems totally closed even though the inventory is still on the shelves.
ReplyDelete