Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

It's a family-run Polish butcher that has been in business for 52 years. Best ham, duck loaf, and many other things. Great, helpful staff. Famous for supplying Martha Stewart's hams, but I don't hold that against them. Vinnie's was a small focacceria that was in the neighborhood for over one-hundreds years. I ate there almost every Saturday on my way to or from the farmer's market. The staff was like family.
Sorry I wasn't clear about this, my anger got the best of me.

very very sad,
my grandma must be rolling over in her grave.
she shopped there for years and years.

Okay, BaHa, now I understand your pain.

When I lived in northwestern Arkansas (God's Country to me) we had a lot of "Mom and Pop" grocery stores and cafes.

Then tons of people from Chicago and California started migrating to our sleepy little town of Mountain Home on the Twin Lakes.

Everything went to hell: the Wal-Mart Super Center and all the big-chain-restaurants moved into town and forced our locally owned and operated businesses into bankruptcy.

I got so incensed that I gave up and moved out of my beloved little town and let the new-comers have it.

After all, one of the pleasures of living there was being treated like "family" in the local's stores and eateries.

It's sad - thats for sure - how many mediocre expensive and pretentious restaurants does the east village need in place of the neighborhood institutions?

On the other hand, the best Polish butcher is in Greenpoint on Nassau Avenue called Steves. Their kielbasa and kabanosy (the medium dry) are to die for.

I mourned for the loss of the east village I grew up in long ago, and wish to have my kiev back and veselka seedy and greasy and full of punks and old people (like it used to be) not middle class families with children. Nothing against them, but they drove prices up at veselka and who ever heard of waiting for a table at Veselka? It ain't that good. . .At least I still have my B&H down the street (unyuppified and complete with ornery waitstaff and teethless people gumming the best challah bread in the city at the counter). And B&H has the best blintzes and soups anyway.

Viva the east village - whats left of it (and I ain't talking 'bout the gap or chipotle although I am guilty of eating an occasional burrito at the former).

And there is still Russ and Daughters and Katz's and Bereket thank god or I'd have to leave New York.

@DocChuck re: Walmart. You say things went downhill when Walmart moved in to serve the Chicagoans and Californinans, but is Walmart not from NW Arkansas, where you are from? How far did they have to move in order to move into your town? I ask because I have been watching my favorite childhood eateries slowly close in my old town, years after Walmart moved in. Some lost business, but many are simply retiring, moving away, etc... I'm pretty sure people who were lucky enough (and willing) to experience Chicago's and California's amazing restaurants weren't clamoring for Walmart's frozen food section in its stead.