At his 100‑day rally, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced he is moving forward with a key campaign promise - opening New York City’s first city‑run grocery store in East Harlem.

The store will operate out of La Marqueta beneath the Park Avenue tracks on East 115th Street and is expected to open by the end of 2029. It is the first of five city‑run stores the mayor says will be operating in each borough before the end of his first term.

“Stores where prices are fair, where workers are treated with dignity, and where New Yorkers can actually afford to shop,” Mamdani said at the rally. “At our stores, eggs will be cheaper, bread will be cheaper, grocery shopping will no longer be an unsolvable equation.”

The city plans to waive real estate taxes and rent for the sites and bring in a third‑party grocery operator to manage labor and pricing.

But not everyone is welcoming the plan. The United Bodegas of America, which represents roughly 14,000 bodegas across the state, says it is reconsidering its endorsement of the mayor, arguing the initiative could harm the city’s smallest corner stores.

“What he’s going to do is let people think that bodegas are ripping them off because they’re making 1% or 5% markup,” said Fernando Mateo, of the United Bodegas of America. “He’s basically poisoning people’s minds to think that supermarkets and bodegas are your enemy, because they’re not giving you things that you need.”

The debate comes as food assistance needs remain high. Nearly 1.8 million New Yorkers, or roughly 20% of the city, rely on SNAP benefits as of September 2025, according to city data.

Critics question whether city‑run grocery stores can meaningfully address affordability at that scale, while supporters argue the model could offer relief in neighborhoods with limited access to fresh, affordable food.

Mamdani pushed back on concerns that government‑run stores cannot compete with private businesses.

“Some will insist that city‑owned businesses do not work, that government cannot keep up with corporations,” he said. “My answer to them is simple: I look forward to the competition. May the most affordable grocery store win.”