Oldest Cheese Shop: According to NBC, a cheese shop called Alleva Dairy in Manhattan's Little Italy (considered the oldest in the US) is about to close, as its owners had to struggle to rent during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Oldest Cheese Shop: Cheese is one of the most popular foods items in the US America. It's a convenient food and can be used in a wide variety of dishes, making it a stepping stone in many American homes. Whether it's making delicious snacks or topping pizzas, burgers and sandwiches — you can't live without American cheese! It's no big deal to say that cheese has become an integral part of the American diet.
A recent development can be quite frustrating for all cheese lovers. The oldest cheese shop in the US is set to close after 130 years of financial struggles and court battles.
According to NBC, a cheese shop called Alleva Dairy in Manhattan's Little Italy (considered the oldest in the US) is about to close, as its owners struggled to pay rent during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report further said that the cheese shop has less than a month to leave the only location known in its 130-year history. "We're going to be out by March 5," owner Karen King reportedly said.
King bought the store a decade ago with her husband, who 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, Raja made it his mission to keep the shop open. But in 2020, when Covid rose, many businesses in the tourism industry were badly affected by the shutdown. "There was literally no one on the streets but we decided we had to do something," she said.
As the pandemic subsided, business grew slowly, especially as the shop expanded to serve ready-made food and sandwiches. "It helped, but I didn't get the money I needed for the rent," King said. The store rent exceeds $500,000, for which a month-long legal battle took place. Later, the shop was filed due to bankruptcy as efforts to raise funds did not provide adequate arrangements to pay rent.
In April 2022, King said he was willing to pay the rent, but wanted more time to do so. The landlord agreed to waive off the shop loan, but insisted that he should leave the shop. "My heart is broken," King said. But I'm a fighter," she said, adding that she still had some hope that something might help save the store.
King said he hopes to open a cheese shop elsewhere. She wasn't sure what the store would look like, but said it wouldn't be the same as the shop that's been selling cheese since 1892.
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