On this day, August 19, in 1953, the neighborhood was preparing for a new, exciting arrival: Bohack Supermarket. Historically, Bohack (or Bohacks, as it was affectionately referred to by most shoppers) franchises across New York served as much of a hangout spot as today’s rooftop watering holes, expensive coffee shops, and oft-controversial dog parks.
What The Brooklyn Daily Eagle dubbed Greenpoint’s “first modern supermarket” was situated at 802 Manhattan Ave. The H.C. Bohack corporation opened…
Some more Greenoint supermarket trivia: Does anyone remember the A&P supermarket located some 250 feet away from this Bohack/Associated — at the corner of Calyer and Lorimer? That became a discount store, then a gym (next door to the current Crunch gym) and now it;s a large apartment & retail building under construction. The Met supermarket across from McGolrick Park was once a 580 seat theatre called “The Winthrop”. The current C Town supermarket on Manhattan Avenue was previously the site of a large synagogue! I believe it was destroyed in a fire – but can someone corroborate that?
That A&P site was formerly the RKO movie theatre with the entrance on Manhattan Avenue. The original A&P was on Manhattan Ave. between Calyer and Meserole and was two stories, one at street level and the other down in the basement. When the RKO closed the A&P took over the site. At that point they also demolished the small grocery store on the corner of Lorimar (Stanley’s?) That is where the High School students at PS126 hung out before school.