America’s oldest cheese shop in New York’s Little Italy closes due to past due rent

The news of this business closing really stinks!

The Alleva Dairy in Little Italy, which bills itself as the oldest cheese shop in America, is closing due to past due rent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After a landmark 130 years, my beloved dairy farm, Alleva Dairy, will no longer be on the corner of Mulberry and Grand Street in Little Italy, New York,” owner Karen King told The Post on Tuesday.

“I really hoped this day would never come and it’s a sad day.”

Allevia found itself in Chapter 11 bankruptcy after accumulating about $628,000 in rent arrears since the start of the pandemic.

King said she and the landlord eventually reached an agreement to release her from the store’s substantial financial debt if she vacated a spot in Little Italy next month.

Avella Dairy’s last day in Little Italy, where it was founded in 1892, will be March 5, according to King.


Alleva Dairy is located at 188 Grand Street in Little Italy, New York.
Alleva Dairy has been located at 188 Grand Street since 1892.
Christian Johnston

“My shop is the oldest cheese shop in America and the heartbeat of Little Italy. We are a New York institution,” King said.

Not only has the longtime cheese connoisseur attracted generations of families to his long menu of Italian delicacies, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, cured meats and cannoli, but Avella Dairy has also been known for attracting celebrities from all over the world.

Leah Remini, Michael Imperioli, Alice Cooper and Joey Reynolds are just some of Avella’s celebrity clients. Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco was a big fan of store-bought sausages and peppers, and negotiation expert Herb Cohen was known to practice his craft in the store.

“This is a loss. It’s unfortunate that a store like this has to go bankrupt. Alleva was a great store. It was all about the food,” actor Chaz Palminteri, who frequented the Alleva dairy when he was in Little Italy, told The Post on Tuesday.


Karen King, owner of Alleva Dairy-Cheese, poses in front of her Alleva Dairy-Cheese store.
Owner Karen King said “the pandemic has ruined my business.”
Christopher Sadowski

“This place has looked the same for over 100 years. How can it not be there after so many years?”

Palminteri said his two Italian restaurants in Manhattan and White Plains have been hit by the COVID pandemic but are thankfully still in existence.

The mozzarella merchant began to struggle to meet its $23,756 monthly rent payments in the early months of the global crisis as business slowed significantly from both individual customers and local eateries.

Avella tried to climb out of the hole, but could not cope with her master’s demands. In April 2022, Jerome G. Stabile III Realty filed a lawsuit in the Manhattan Supreme Court asking to be allowed to vacate the store if they cannot pay its debts.


A pile of cheese in a shop window.
According to King, Avella Dairy’s last day at Little Italy will be March 5th.
Christopher Sadowski

King did everything in her power to keep the historic cheese shop open, including cutting staff salaries and pleading with the government for help.

“I wrote a lot of letters to senators and government officials. We met with the governor’s office and got empty words,” King said. “Chinatown got the money. The museum across the street got a million dollars from me. My question is, when will companies like mine get their fair share?”

“The pandemic has destroyed my business,” King explains.

Despite a heartbreaking loss, King looks to the future of the infamous cheese shop.

“I have plans to open a new location and continue the Alleva legacy,” King said. “I want to thank everyone for their love and support.”

Content Source

Dallas Press News – Latest News:
Dallas Local News || Fort Worth Local News | Texas State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Business News || Health News

texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

Related Articles

Back to top button