by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News April 16, 2026
New York City taxpayers will be forced to pony up $30 million to build a city-run grocery store in East Harlem designed by socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
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New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said a city-run grocery store will be built in East Harlem. / Video Image[/caption]
Hizzoner's store, which will take three years to build, purportedly aims to offer lower-priced staples (bread, eggs) without a profit motive.
“I almost fell back when I saw the $30 million number,” Anthony Pena, president of the National Supermarket Association, told the New York Post. “Even a high-end, gourmet store in the middle of Manhattan wouldn’t cost that much to build.”
Avi Kaner, who once owned a grocery chain in New York, told the Post that “$30 million is an awful lot to spend to build one supermarket.”
Mamdani told supporters this week about his plans to build a 9,000 square foot store on a vacant lot: “This store will be open in 2029. The reason that we’re announcing it first is that, unlike other stores, this will be built from the ground up.”
Pena and Kaner agreed that a typical, 15,000-square-foot store without elevators or escalators costs under $10 million to build.
Breitbart's John Nolte noted: "Will East Harlem see a glorious grocery palace complete with massage therapy, IMAX movie theaters, free daycare, a coffee bar, and a full spa? Nope…
“When it comes to the products that we will be selling at the city-run grocery stores, there will be an essential basket of goods that will be guaranteed a cheaper price, and cheaper than what they’re being sold at currently,” Mamdani said.
Nolte pointed out: "Two things to keep in mind…
"First, that $30 million is just to build the thing. My guess is that at least half of that money will be used for graft to pay off Mamdani’s supporters in the unions and the like, but that $30 million does not include the cost of running the store, purchasing the food, and operating at a loss.
"Second, what will this government-run store do to all those East Harlem grocers who require a profit to remain in business? Mamdani’s either going to bury them in bankruptcy, or he’ll have to subsidize them to keep them in business.
"These schemes never work, and there is nothing about this plan that doesn’t spell boondoggle."
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