The oldest cheese shop in the US must leave Little Italy, where it has been for 130 years

The oldest cheese shop in Manhattan’s Little Italy, believed to be America’s oldest, is waiting for a miracle.

After financial difficulties and legal battles, Alleva Dairy has less than a month to leave the only place it has known in its 130-year history, on the corner of Mulberry Street and Grand Street.

“We have to be out by March 5th,” said owner Karen King, meaning it could be less than 30 days before the end of the era.

King and her husband bought the Alleva Dairy ten years ago.

“My husband was born and raised in Little Italy, his name was Cha Cha, and he was the unofficial mayor of Little Italy,” King said.

When Cha Cha died in 2015, King made it her mission to save Alleva. But then the pandemic hit and businesses in the tourist area were hit hard by the shutdowns.

“There was literally no one on the streets, but we decided we had to do something,” she said.

Business has been slowly bouncing back for a staple of the area, known for its fresh cheeses (like the daily mozzarella) and huge sandwiches — especially after it expanded into a café offering things like arancini. They tried to sell prepared food and groceries to stay afloat.

“It helped, but it didn’t bring in the money I needed to pay the rent,” King said.

But the store overdue rent for two years and filed for bankruptcy. A months-long legal battle ensued with the building’s landlord for more than $500,000 in overdue rent, as that landlord refused to honor the remainder of the company’s 10-year lease.

Alleva Dairy, the oldest cheese shop in the US, located in New York’s Little Italy neighborhood, was used by a landlord ostensibly to pay rent. NBC New York correspondent Rana Novini reports.

In April 2022, King stated that she was ready to pay the money, but she just needed time for it. But the landlord demanded money, and Alleva recently got the last deal: the store will be forgiven the debt, but he must leave the building.

“I have a broken heart. My heart is broken, but I’m a fighter,” King said, adding that she still hopes something can help save the store. Not only for the customers, but also for her late husband, who loved Alleva as much as she did.

“In a way, losing Alleva dairy is like losing it again. Isn’t it funny? But that’s how I feel. And I don’t want to cry because I’m going to fight,” King said.

The landlord did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

King hopes he can open Alleva Dairy elsewhere. She wasn’t quite sure what it would look like, but she knew that no matter what, it wouldn’t be the same as the famous shop that’s been selling cheese since 1892.

“We may be losing space and you never know, maybe we will have a miracle, but the quality of what we present here and the food we prepare and what people come to us for, I take with yourself.”