Green Aisle Grocery to close its 2 locations

Ten years in, brothers Adam and Andrew Erace say they will close their Green Aisle Grocery stores in South Philadelphia, effective Jan. 31.

Green Aisle, which opened at 1618 E. Passyunk Ave. in late 2009 and expanded to 2241 Grays Ferry Ave. in mid-2014, has offered shelf space to local brands, such as Ric’s Breads, Hillacres Pride, and Three Springs. A third location, at 11 W. Girard Ave. in Fishtown, was open from 2015 to 2017.

“So much has changed about the retail world of local, organic and gourmet foods in the last decade,” they wrote in a statement that described the business as a "side hustle."

“When we started, agave nectar was considered a specialty ingredient and Walmart grass-fed beef didn’t exist. The increased availability of this kind of food is a very good thing, and we like to think we played a very small role in that, but it’s also made it harder to sustain our tiny shops in the face of well-funded corporate competition. This is especially apparent at our Grays Ferry Avenue location, where we now exist between a Giant and an Amazon depot.”

Adam Erace, who cowrote the recent cookbooks Laurel with Nicholas Elmi and Dinner at the Club with Joey Baldino, is working on a third book, while Andrew is shooting the second season of Movers and Makers on WHYY. The brothers hosted a Food Network show, Great American Food Finds, in 2015.

One piece of Green Aisle will remain. The Eraces say they will convert their product line of small-batch preserves, notably organic pistachio butter, into its own business.

Everything in the stores except for fresh products, such as produce, cheese, and ice cream, is 20% off through the closing.