NYC-owned grocery store to open in East Harlem, Mamdani says

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to announce the first location of a New York City-owned grocery store to be opened before the end of his first term.

La Marqueta, in East Harlem, has been selected as a site for one of the mayor’s five eventual grocery store — the location is already owned by the City, NBC New York has learned. Opening a City-owned grocery store was one of Mamdani’s signature campaign pledges.

“This is about ensuring that every New Yorker, regardless of income or ZIP code, has access to fresh, healthy food at a price they can afford,” Mamdani said in a statement.

Mamdani is announcing the initiative during his Sunday evening “100 Days” address in Queens.

The first of those five stores could open as early as next year. Before La Marqueta is built and opened, the City will pick an existing store location.