BROOKLYN – A Greek supermarket and deli staple in Bay Ridge, Greek Bakaliko Gourmet Food Market has officially closed its doors after seven years of serving the Greek-American community.
The Greek store located at 7615 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge was opened back in November of 2018 by Antonis Kostakos, who immigrated to the U.S. from Athens in the late 90s, and quickly became known as a popular one-stop-shop for all things Greek.
As shared on their website, it was established to cater to Bay Ridge shoppers, “with the mission of spreading our love of incredible Greek food and the finest imported offerings.”
At Greek Bakaliko Gourmet Food Market, you could find a wide array of imported Greek goods, including juices, coffee, honey, jams and spreads, olive oil, drinks, feta, yogurt, frozen pastries, biscuits, chips, and cooking ingredients. The Greek market also offered fresh pita bread, olives, and seasonal traditional Greek treats such as koulourakia, melomakarona, paximathia, as well as vasilopites and tsourekia.
The announcement of the store’s sudden closure was made on the business’ Facebook page, where they posted an image of the store with the words ‘Permanently Closed’ written across it.
The caption reads: “Thank you to those who supported us year-round – beyond holidays, trends and trips to Greece – and who believe that being Greek is more than a label; its loyalty, culture and community.”
The post added: “Authenticity matters. Always did. Always will.”
Antonis Kostakos, owner of the Greek Bakaliko at Bay Ridge. (Photo: TNH File
Members of the Greek community took to the comments to express their sadness over the unexpected closure, while also wishing the business owner, who they called ‘κύριο Αντώνη’ (Mr. Antonis), all the best in the future and thanked him for his service.
One commenter wrote “Oh no… so sorry to hear this,” another said “so very sad about this. You will be missed.”
Some members of the community expressed the way the store made them feel every time they visited: “It always put a smile on my face to walk through those doors. Truly a gem to Bay Ridge – will be missed dearly,” one of the comments read.
Another woman expressed how “Antonis Kostakos was a pleasure to have in the community – and always brought a sense of Greece into Bay Ridge as soon as walking through those doors.
Will be truly missed!”
The National Herald reached out to Antonis Kostakos for a comment on his business’ closure, however we did not receive a response in time of publication.
