New Market To Fill Gap Of Closed Park Slope Key Food, Owners Say

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Relief may be on the way for Park Slopers trekking extra blocks for groceries since the dreaded closure of Key Foods on Fifth Avenue last summer.

Two longtime friends are getting ready to open a new market on Fifth Avenue and St. Johns Place, just a block from the shuttered supermarket, which is closed until at least 2024 given a redevelopment on the site.

Owners hope the new store will help neighbors who once frequented the Key Foods find produce, organic food, cleaning supplies and other groceries closer to home.

"We saw the Key Food had closed down, so it was a great opportunity to bring people what they really need," one of the owners, Baha Efrieh, told Patch.

Indeed, the new market has already sparked interest from neighbors, even as owners try to quietly prepare the storefront, Efrieh said.

"We kind of wanted it to be a surprise to the community...[but] a lot of people are asking what's going on," Efrieh said. "Everybody's excited."

The new market will realize a lifelong dream for Efrieh and co-owner Mourad "Mo" Innab, who have been best friends since they were 9 years old and long hoped to one day go into business together.

Park Slopers might recognize Innab from a similar market he opened last year on Ninth Street. His father has also run Park Slope's Eighth Street Mini Market since the early 1990s.

The new Fifth Avenue market — called "Two Brothers Market" after the childhood friends, who are now in their early 20s — will be the first for Efrieh, whose background is in the auto industry.

"I’ve always wanted to be in the food industry," he said. "I want to bring people everything they need, especially with the pandemic, and be a part of the community."

Two Brothers Market is slated to open its doors in mid-February, Efrieh said.

It is the first business to take over the 137 Fifth Ave. storefront since at least 2020. The corner spot was most recently used by a boutique called Habit.

The store will include a large selection of beer, a section of fruits and vegetables and regular grocery items like chips, ice cream, condiments, pet food or cleaning supplies, Efrieh said, though the owners are open to adding other items neighbors may be looking for.

"If there’s anything I can help with, I want people to come to me for it," he said. "I want to be a good addition to the community — if they need anything, I’ll be around."