Local Harlem grocer sues Mayor over city-run grocery plan threatening family store

For 30 years Josefina Aguirre has managed the Little Mexico grocery she and her sisters inherited from their parents, a staple of Spanish Harlem that survived the pandemic, rising rents and competition from big-box retailers. The shop now faces a lawsuit alongside other city grocers challenging Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s initiative to open five city-backed grocery stores, one in each borough, promising roughly 30% cheaper prices.

A location slated for next year at La Marqueta, just two blocks from Aguirre’s market, will be funded with about $30 million of taxpayer money, while the overall program is backed by $70 million. The municipal stores would operate on city property without paying rent or taxes, a benefit the mayor says enables lower prices for New Yorkers struggling with food costs. Critics argue those advantages give the city stores an unfair edge, threatening the survival of family-run shops like Little Mexico, which could lose customers to a $7 chicken versus their $13 offering.

Aguirre worries the plan could force her to abandon the business that supports her mortgage and her children’s tuition. The mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment.