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Special Report: Metro Acres Market - Manhattan, NY (Washington Heights)

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By Zachary
Metro Acres Market
Opened: October 25, 2024
Owner: unknown
Previous Tenants: Rite Aid
Cooperative: Retail Grocers Group
Location: 4188 Broadway, Washington Heights, Manhattan, NY
Photographed: November 13, 2024
Across the Harlem River and about 20 blocks north of the LIDL we're seeing today at the Bronx Terminal Market, we've returned to Metro Acres Market's newest location in Washington Heights! I first learned this store was under construction by chance, just passing by, then returned to check on the construction. The small store, formerly a Rite Aid, opened on October 25 as Metro Acres' second location.
As I pointed out last time, it has the same decor package as the Fine Fare diagonally across the street (and you can see the GWB Market/Mercado in the background of the above picture, the mall built above interstate 95 at the base of the George Washington Bridge, which is home to the Fine Fare). But it doesn't appear to share the same owners as the Fine Fare. The store is nice, and has plenty to offer although it doesn't pack as much in as some small stores.
Baked goods and produce line the left-side wall (there's a bread/bakery case just out of frame to the left in the above picture) with meat, cold cuts, and dairy on the back wall. The rest of dairy and frozen line the last aisle. There are no service departments here -- not even a deli, which surprised me.
The store is very attractively designed, with LED strips lighting up various NYC symbols on the walls. Below you can see the bridge and the Statue of Liberty on either side of the produce sign.
The back-left corner of the store has what I assume is the meat prep room, meaning that the first few aisles are shorter. Meat lines the outside of that bump-out.
It's easy to forget you're in a former Rite Aid. Basically nothing inside is left over. The ceiling looks like an old pressed tin ceiling. But Rite Aid had a standard drop ceiling here. So either it's not old, it's a replica designed to look retro, or it was above Rite Aid's drop ceiling. It's hard to tell if the ceiling of Metro Acres is higher than Rite Aid's.
Here's a look at the back corner with meat, and the back wall is straight ahead.
The rest of the back wall has a Boar's Head section, which appears to be the stand-in for the deli, and dairy.
I like the decor here, and I think the NYC landmarks are fun but a little corny. It feels like something you'd see in a touristy store near Times Square more than here in Washington Heights, which isn't exactly most NYC tourists' first stop.
The rest of dairy and frozen line the last aisle. It looks like all the fixtures were brand-new here, which makes the space look really good.
I also really like the backlit department signs.
And a look at the front-end (apologies for the guy)...
Good to see these closed Rite Aids being repurposed into something useful! And don't forget, just 10 blocks north, another closed Rite Aid became a Shop Fair recently. Amazingly, at 7500 square feet, that store is actually bigger than this one, which measures just 6800 square feet. Don't miss this weekend's other posts, too!
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