Grab Some Gourmet Goods in the South Slope

Gothamist has lavished many a paycheck on Pain d’Avignon and precious knobs of duck rillettes at Blue Apron’s south Park Slope location. So we were frantic when we noticed the butcher paper-lined windows signaling the specialty store’s demise. Answers, it turned out, were just a door knock away.

Former Blue Apron employee Laura Nuter will reopen the space (this week, she hopes) as Grab, a similarly fabulous specialty foods store. Nuter worked as a fromagier at cheese behemoth, Artisanal and later worked on developing inventory at Tribeca Grill before joining owners Ted Matern and Alan Palmer at their cherished foodie destination, Blue Apron in 2005.

Nuter assures us that the hand-picked quality we loved about Blue Apron won’t be lost at her shop. Look for items like Fra’Mani handcrafted salumi, Neals Yard Dairy selections like Montgomery’s Cheddar, Kirkham’s Lancashire and Colston Basset Stilton, and other such seductive vices. She plans on stocking the mythic Salchichón Ibérico, but is at the bottom of a long waiting list. She’s promised to call Gothamist the moment it arrives…we’ll let you know.

If any of that sounds unfamiliar, don’t fret. Nuter is focused on educating her customers and plans on offering samples a’plenty until she’s helped them find the perfect selection. She’ll also be staying open a bit later (until 8pm) to accommodate the late workers among us—good news for Gothamist; we’ve spent too many nights peering sadly through that locked glass door.

For those opposed to change, Blue Apron will continue to operate at the flagship location on Union Street. Hop to it, Nuter! Gothamist has a yen for Pyrenées Brebis!

Grab
438 7th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jordana Rothman in Food on January 18, 2007 2:04 PM

Comments [rss]

Charles Phillips

wow. what neighborhood support!! yea what we need there is a store full of plastic junk toys that are made in China by ten year olds earning 5 cents a day!

Emily

I still miss Lucky Bug, which had been in that location for years.... it was a fantastically quirky toy store that was completely affordable; the owners/proprietors were local artists and cool people, and my son practically grew up in their story. They also ran an informal information hub for the neighborhood. What does the neighborhood need more - overpriced gourmet stores where hardly anyone on a moderate income can shop, or the alternative?

Rafael

Blue Apron closed the location because it just ended being way too much work to manage 2 stores. Laura had been a Blue Apron employee for 2 years and was looing to open her own store. Blue Apron didn't want to abandon the community so they decided to sell the store to her.

Usually there is good reason why certain cheeses are 24$ a pound. Bad exchange rates, tranportation of perishable goods and importation costs, small artisanal makers with very low output all add to the cost. Ofen there isn't much profit in more expensive cheeses in an effort to try to keep the prices resonable.

michael

blue ribbon workers are SO rude - everytime I attempt to eat there - its the same story - fem, fem, f-em

famdoc

Will her cheeses be priced at $24.95 per pound, as well? "Artisinal" cheeses are priced like gold, making anything more than a sliver a major expense.

Daniel

I liked that place but the prices were a bit steep for most items, hopefully the prices will relax a bit.

I do like the sound of "samples a’plenty" though.. mmmmm free samples. I look forward to checking it out!

Rocknrope

So why did Blue Apron decide to close this location, if another specialty food shop is opening in its stead? Are the two related at all beyond the owner's previous employment?