‘Micro-retail’ shops thrive in NYC post-pandemic

NEW YORK (PIX11)—Space is tight in New York City, and many retailers are embracing that, scaling down their business outposts to capitalize on the situation.

But less space doesn’t necessarily mean less impact. Just ask Nicole Berrie. 

“When people come in here, they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s so small!” she said of her 400-square-foot space in the West Village, where she sells healthy, prepacked meals like salads, smoothies and snacks. New York is about convenience, in and out, and accessibility, and that’s what Bonberi is about,” she said. 

Bonberi may be a tiny store, but Berrie says she doesn’t need much space to work at her passion: making healthy foods accessible for New Yorkers on the go. 

“I was thinking, I wish there was a spot I could run, grab something, and know it was gonna make me feel good,” she said. “Rents are skyrocketing, and it's become really difficult for small business owners like myself. You can maximize every shelf, every square inch, and really be successful."

Even big brands like Whole Foods are starting to go smaller. The grocery giant is now opening "new quick-shop stores" for grab-and-go meals and weekly essentials, targeting busy city customers. The first location is expected to open in Midtown later this year. At several thousand square feet, the so-called "daily stores" are about half the size of a traditional whole foods market. 

But that doesn’t sound so small to Rachel Krupa, another micro-retailer in Manhattan. 

“That would be ten of these,” she said, motioning to her small SoHo storefront. 

“I feel like I could dance and have a part every day,” she joked.

Krupa runs The Goods Mart, an almost 400-square-foot space she opened in 2021. The Good Mart sells snacks from emerging brands, focusing on female-founded and LGBTQ+-owned companies. 

“Going small is incredible,” Krupa said. 

“You have to be very intentional of all the things you put in,” she said. 

Krupa has long believed in maximizing smaller spaces, but the pandemic really fueled her to get creative and rely on a growing e-commerce presence—not an expanding storefront—to serve her customers. 

“Basically they were they were like, ‘I have 100 dollars, I have 20 dollars, I have 30 dollars, can you send us snacks? Cause I can't get into the city,’" she said. 

Krupa said she taps into customers' busy lifestyles and carefully chooses products to help them find new brands and snack choices. 

“People are walking by; they want to come in, they want to discover, they’re not in their cars, and they shop based more on immediacy,” she said. 

Sometimes, scaling down – means moving up. 

“Going small has its challenges, has its perks. Your walls are so big, so if you wanna grow, you gotta knock some down,” she said.