Dec. 19, 2016 By Christian Murray
A discount store on 31st Street is closing as development looks imminent.
ABC Super Stores, which occupies a one-story building at 21-27 31st Street, will close once its existing inventory is sold. A large sign drapes over the front of store that reads: “Closing this store. Everything must go.”
The owner of the business has lost his lease and there are no plans to relocate to another part of Astoria. “It’s too expensive around here,” said the manager of the Astoria location. “We are looking to open another store in Brooklyn.”
The Astoria operation is part of the ABC Super Stores chain, which consists of 11 locations. In Queens, there are stores in Sunnyside, Ridgewood and Corona. Those stores will continue to operate as usual.
The Astoria property where ABC is currently located was bought for $8.5 million on Dec. 1, according to public records.
The purchaser is listed as 20 RFC ASTORIA LLC, which is linked to John Petras, who is the managing partner of the Douglaston-based real estate management and development company Rockfarmer Properties.
Petras could not be reached for comment.
Development plans have yet to be filed with the Department of Buildings.
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47 Comments
They are going to build a huge complex her. There goes the sunlight in my house. #RIPSun 🙁
They’re going to build a huge complex here. There goes the sunlight coming into my house 🙁 #RIPSun
Thats true about mommy and daddy paying their rent because my landlord rents to them easy way for him to make good money 2000.00 for a small one bedroom apartment .
You got that right 100%.
If most people in New York don’t own cars how come it takes over a hour to find a space to park in astoria and you usually have to park blocks away from where you live.Have you seen the n and w train at day and night during rush hour.Just think how more crowded they will be with more 1000 units being built in the neighhood.Astoria is packed with too many people already.
The only people that think this is a good idea are transplants who won’t be living here in the next 10 years anyway. This is our HOME, our NEIGHBORHOOD, where we grew up and now raising our kids. To add more luxury apts for people that will move back to middle America when they’re done living their NY dream, crowding an already overcrowded area. Parking is absolutely ridiculous, the trains are packed at the 1st stop, even CVS on any day or time is a madhouse. I LOVED Christmas week when all of you went home – my neighborhood was actually like it used to be. We’re losing culture, mom and pop shops – the “CHARM” of our neighborhood is disappearing and being replaced with people that all sound like they’re from the valley with their parents paying their overpriced rent, having burgers and beer and listening to 90s hip hop that they didn’t even grow up on – so sad.
As a long term transplant, I agree completely. It was for families, kids, and all socio economic classes. Make some money buy a house or a three family and rent it out. Not buy 700,00 1 bdr condos. LOL on the last two sentences. All restaurants are going fast casual and raising prices. If you aren’t planning on making a life here you don’t know what you speak of.
As a long term transplant, I agree completely. It was for families, kids, and all socio economic classes. Make some money buy a house or a three family and rent it out. Not buy 700,00 1 bdr condos. LOL on the last two sentences. All restaurants are going fast casual and raising prices. If you aren’t planning on making a life here you don’t know what you speak of.
I have been a resident for over 22 years. Quite frankly, Astoria does not need a 1,000 unit property! Have you tried parking in astoria? If you’re a newbie to the neighborhood please dont speak of what you know little of. I’m a devastated that ABC is leaving no. Although instead of property, try a trader joes. Somethint people will benefit from. Not another over priced location.
Most New Yorkers don’t own cars. If you want easy parking, and insist on parking on the street, instead of paying for parking like most folks, you probably shouldn’t be living in the middle of the biggest city in the country.
New housing is desperately needed and improves the neighborhood. Bring on more condos and rentals, please!
This isn’t New York. This is outside of the city. Cars are needed for some uses when many people live 10 blocks from the services they need and buses don’t support. There is a difference between a born and bred, a long time transplant, and a new transplant. You don’t know what you speak of. Not all people can walk 10-20 blocks. Stores generate more by offering parking. Go back to Manhattan or the midwest.
“Most New Yorkers don’t own cars.”
I assume you’ve never looked for a parking spot in Astoria when Street Cleaning is 4x a week… Look at the number of cars on our streets and rethink your comment.
We do not need housing, we need more businesses.
get lost and stay lost.
There ARE residents of Astoria that went there due to displacement over in the mythological areas known as East Harlem and Hells Kitchen when gentrification began , and in Astoria you even got a month’s free rent in some buildings AND THE RENTS WERE CHEAP TO BEGIN WITH.
So seeing the stores going out of business and on the corner of Ditmars and 31st an old time bar forced out and a STARBUCKS incoming,common sense told you IT’S FINISHED HERE NOW and the same for Harlem.
a Starbucks appeared…and then the yuppies.
as for vehicles,trucks and cars ?
yes sweetie, we have them and even had them while residing in Manhattan and are not paying what we once paid for an apt to house them the same.
please go away as your grunge years must be over by now.
Quaint? Losing its charm? Where have you been maaaan, under a stone. The hipsters maan, their taking over maaaan. The 70s are over
Listen one bedroom apartments going for 2000.00 a month isn’t good for the old people in the neighborhood because one day all of you are going to be old and forced to leave your place because the way it’s going. This is the way of people today no love only hate. And fuck human beings, look in the mirror and be proud of what we all became heartless uncaring people.
And if we don’t start building a lot more apartments faster the prices will continue to clime.
I do like how you blame others for hate then say “fuck human beings”. That was funny. Good one.
John i was sarcastic with that remark. Not from the heart.
hey John ?
who are they building these apartments for ?
how many will be rent stabilized ?
think these owners don’t know the magic formula regarding the percentage of “”low income”” per market rate units and work it accordingly ?
think they run a charity ?
LOL
Hipsters you mean dipsters
I’m born and raised in Astoria. Take it from me, Hipsters ruined the neighborhood. No manners, no morals, no respect….. I call them “horses with blinders” one track minds…. nothing exists around them. I’ve noticed they can’t hold the door for anyone, they cross in front of moving strollers, look at crying babies as if they’re a burden…. they should go back to wherever the ef these people came from
when you understand their parallel universe ALONG WITH THEM believing THEY DID US ALL A FAVOR by invading this certain location, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND their self label of the superior beings.
THEY consider us ghetto and that THEY HAVE ENHANCED our lives.
This area of Astoria is quaint, that is what I like about it.
No we do not need more apartments. No we do not need more people.
More people more crime. More garbage. More congestion. More traffic.
More crowded subways and buses.
We do not need more restaurants and banks.
We need more schools, more police, better sanitation.
I don’t shop much at these stores but I like the fact that they exist.
I’ve heard that developers are trying to buy the land from the library down to the Lutheran Church. Developers are negotiating for the air rights also.
Apparently no plans to properly develop this area.
Haphazardly done.
Big money making for developers and politicians I can imagine.
Born and raised in Astoria (55 yrs) seen change.
Some good, some not so good.
Astoria is quickly losing its charm.
A-Dam Shame.
I agree, we don’t need another overpriced condo building with small rooms and cheap kitchen appliances. This will bring exactly like you said more garbage, crime, limited parking if we are lucky, you will no longer get a seat at the last stop of the N train on Ditmars and the traffic will be more time consuming. The local politicians don’t care they seem to like this change in Astoria as long it is not their neighborhood it’s ok. There are changes on Astoria Blvd that are ridiculous, Astoria has become over priced and I’m sorry but a definite eyesore.
There still is Dee II on Broadway/36 St. It is a similar store that has been updated nicely with a bigger selection of household products and clothes. Ditmars is a mess nowadays very similar to Steinway. However, it is good for high priced meals or cheap meals from the vendor trucks (they are all over the place). Hardly any stores to shop in.
GOOD RIDDENS
Do we really need more high rise housing in Astoria. We are already over congested with people, cars and slowly all businesses are becoming food related. As a life long Astorian we still need some place to purchase any household items as well as clothing for all sizes. Sorry to see this store close.
There are a lot of people looking for places to live. We need more housing. People are shifting their buying to the internet. That’s the future. I’d recommend Amazon for most things.
to this date, we don’t actually really have any ‘high rise’ housing as you call it.
Only specific areas allow for that kind of zoning.
We do have some larger buildings over 10 stories with a large footprint, and we don’t need anything bigger.
Maaaaan i like red bull, thats why people call me bull maaan. You need to get it.
I liked this store but we need more housing. I’m all for a 1000 unit building
as long as its luxury highrises im with it
This was such a waste of real estate.
A 500-1000 unit condo building could go there giving people more places to live and add more people to the local economy.
Oh great, another ugly, high rise condo in our future.
Love this store, bought so many things such as curtains, towels coffee pots,ect. Will miss this store.
Hey maaaan. I used to get my toilet paper here. Whats wrong with you. From now on i gotta use a brush man. Asians dont play that, we’re very clean maaaaaan
I will miss ABC. Store. R I p I I hope someone will take over the store we need something in Astoia. QNS
What a shame. Great store for those on limited budgets.
..
GLAD ITS CLOSING . IT ATTRACTS GARBAGE .
Garbage? People in a budget are garbage? You’re garbage, how’s about that?
astoria is changing for the better ….. great news ……..
Find your peace..Happy holidays
You are garbage not the people that are on the budget.
Store sucks, had garbage items and cheap junk.
This is the problem with garbage like you. If you don’t like our stores and neighborhood leave because all we are going to end up with is overpriced condos and apartments nobody can afford
The yuptards have to live out their grunge years and of course move on when they procreate BUT leave their high rents to be increased by their former POS landlords and we have to deal with it and the next influx of THEM.
whoever posted this IS garbage!
I knew this day was going to come… As a true Astorian, this hurts my heart.