Supermarket games

With two new supermarkets set to open perhaps within days of each other, Baldwin may soon find its supermarket woes easing.

The new Gala Fresh Farms and Ideal Food Basket markets are both scheduled to open by the end of the month, spokesmen for the stores said, although neither has a firm opening date. They will join the Fruit Tree Farm market, at 1197 Grand Ave., and the Waldbaum’s, at 905 Atlantic Ave.

“We expect to be open before Oct. 31,” said Dan Cabassa, chief executive officer of Lake Success-based America’s Food Basket, owner of the Ideal store.

Both the Gala Fresh and Ideal markets, at 2485 Grand Ave. and 856-874 Merrick Road, respectively, are adding finishing touches, and Gala Fresh is awaiting final approval from the Town of Hempstead. Of Ideal, Cabassa said, “There are no delays, we’re just filling the store.”

The uproar over supermarkets began this summer, when A&P, owner of the Waldbaum’s and Pathmark in Baldwin, announced that it was closing both stores. Waldbaum’s, which is still operating, was purchased by Stop & Shop and will reopen under that banner, although no date has been set. Pathmark, at 1764 Grand Ave., will remain shuttered, although there is a rumor of a potential bidder. A spokesman for A&P said he could not speculate on what would happen to the property.

Gala Fresh is an arm of the Compare Foods chain, which has stores in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and North and South Carolina. Compare is a family-owned business based in Freeport.

Franky Jorge, who will manage Gala Fresh, would neither confirm nor deny a rumor that Compare was interested in taking over the old Pathmark store.

Gala Fresh differs from Compare, as well as Baldwin competitors, in that it will specialize in organic and natural foods, and offer many items that are gluten-free and non-genetically modified, Jorge said. “We’re going to have better-for-you-type items,” he said. It will also have a bakery, fresh sushi and seafood, custom-cut meats and grab-and-go items.