A former warehouse in Long Island City will be transformed in the Queens version of the Chelsea Market.
According to The New York Daily News, Jamestown Properties has brought in artisanal food makers to occupy the ground floor of the Falchi Building on 47th Ave. near LaGuardia Community College.
"It's the right type of image for the neighborhood," Dana Frankel of the Long Island City Partnership told the Daily News. "It aligns well with the neighborhood's history and culture of creating things."
One of the tenants in the new market will be Artisanal Premium Cheese, who will have a shop and a restaurant in the new market and will expand its aging caves. The factor buys and sells curd from around the world.
"We're going to bring a whole new dimension to the neighborhood," Daniel Dowe, the CEO and president. Dowe told the Daily News that that the company has plans to hire 20 full-time workers.
Amy's Bread is in talks to open a kiosk in the new food boutique.
"We're hoping to do it," said owner Amy Scherber, who already bakes bread in a Long Island City plant. "There's not enough good food around here."
The Building was built in 1922 as a warehouse and distribution site for the now-defunct Gimbels department store. It has not bee used since. Jamestown bought it last year, reportedly paying $80 million.
"It's opening up avenues for these artisanal food manufacturers that can't afford the $15,000 to $50,000 for a food cart or truck," said Katherine Gregory, who runs the Entrepreneur Space."[Jamestown] wants start-ups. They want unique people, They want people that have been doing street fairs to have a more permanent location."
