A Love Letter to My Corner Market

There’s an empty building in the middle of what some would call Staten Island’s “Midtown.” In a lot across from the mall, surrounded by shops, restaurants, schools, and other very active enviornments, there’s this bare, raw building. A building that permits and Facebookers agree, will magically turn into a Trder Joe’s supermarket early next year.

But if being a journalist has taught me anything it’s that Facebook is not a reliable source, and permits are filed all the time and never followed up on. So for the foreseeable future, Staten Island will not be piling organic pear after organic pear into a canvas bag at this fine establishment, they’ll be doing it at others. The best of these? Mignosi’s Market.

Since moving to the South Shore, away from the hustle and bustle of Rosebank with its Dunkin Donuts and its bodega on every corner, I’ve been at a coffee loss. A real loss. A staggering loss. Enter: Mignosi’s. I first came to know this corner supermarket for its bevy of Italian foods. Too late to make the sauce? Buy a quart at Mignosi! Last-minute guests? Get a fresh made loaf of bread down the block! But on a particularly chilly morning this fast spring I entered the store to grab lunch items, and walked out caffeinated.

Sure, it might be some random blend, but the little shiny pot of coffee waiting for me on the other side of the door was just too much to handle. It may not be Fairway, but I love my corner market, with its register kids, and its Boars Head deli meat; 2 cash registers, and little lotto counter. It’s as close as you can get to a mom-and-pop shop, and on really quiet nights (at 8:30pm) when the rest of Staten Island has tucked themselves into bed, it feels like Miggie’s is all mine.

Photo via Flickr.