It seems the A&P bankruptcy has claimed another victim. According to NBC10, the Grays Ferry Pathmark will close its doors on November 20th. A&P has been able to find buyers for some of their locations, like the Superfresh turned Acme at 2nd & Girard, but they weren't able to find a buyer for the Grays Ferry location, according to the report. Yesterday, the store closed early to reduce prices in anticipation of next month's closing.
This is a complete 180 degree turn for this block which in early 2014 saw the opening of a Bottom Dollar foods across the street from the Pathmark. That store closed in less than a year, and though Aldi took over many former Bottom Dollar locations they weren't interested in this one, possibly because of the competition across the street. That building continues to sit vacant, though the 18K sqft space is actively listed for lease.
Soon there will be two vacant former supermarkets on this block which not only looks terrible but is a real hit to the community. The closest market will be South Square Market at 23rd & South. The closest supermarket is all the way down in South Philly, the Shop Rite at 23rd & Oregon. When the Grays Ferry Pathmark closes, it will create a food desert in this area, making it much more difficult for neighbors to get healthy and nutritious food. So yeah, this is crappy all the way around.
With so much distance between this location and the closest supermarket, we're actually surprised that A&P couldn't find someone to take over their space. Maybe once they close their doors, another supermarket will be able to negotiate a new lease in this location that makes it viable. We can hold out hope for a Wegman's or a Trader Joe's, but neither seems like a particularly realistic option. At this point, we'll be cheered to hear about any potential tenant for this space, ideally in the very near future.