After grappling with legal battles and financial struggles, Alleva Dairy has found a new home in New Jersey. Owners, Karen King and her husband John “Cha cha’ Ciarca, purchased the 130-year-old cheese shop about a decade ago. Back in February, King announced their business would be closing its doors. “We don’t know where we’re going,” said Karen King. “But I do know that if we go somewhere, it’ll be bigger, it’ll be better. We’re taking with us the quality that we have had on Mulberry and Grand for this long.”
Alleva Dairy announced they would officially close its doors on March 1st after filing chapter 11 bankruptcy last September. The shop had fallen behind on rent for two years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the business. The landlord of the building sued Alleva Dairy over $500,000 in back rent.
(Photo Credit: Alleva Dairy/Karen King via NY Post)
King offered to pay the back rent but needed time. This deal didn’t sit well with the landlord. Finally, the solution was the debt would be forgiven if the business left the building. On February 9th, Alleva Dairy announced it would be permanently shutting its doors, ending the enduring legacy built in Little Italy in Manhattan.
However, the historic cheese shop begins a new chapter across state lines in New Jersey. “Thanks to the vision, generosity, and commitment of businessman and developer, Jack Morris, President and CEO, of Edgewood Properties, Alleva Dairy will be opening a 3,700-square-foot store at 9 Polito Avenue Lyndhurst, NJ,” King announced. “One thing is certain, Alleva Dairy will continue and will be bigger and better than before.”
The iconic red and green sign will rise again with the fixtures that everyone has come to know and love. All of the counters and machines have been loaded and shipped to their new 3700-square-foot home at 9 Polito Avenue in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. There is no official grand opening date in New Jersey, but according to King, “Alleva Dairy will continue and will be bigger and better than before."
AJ Forrisi
Assistant Editor for America Domani, AJ Forrisi is a Brooklyn-based writer and photographer. His work focuses on food, travel, sports, landscapes, and urban scenes. You can find him on Instagram @aj.photo.works.