“I could describe Hunts Point to someone over the phone for hours and it would not do what goes on at the operation justice,” said D’Arrigo, whose family business has been located at the Bronx, NY-based facility since it opened in March 1967 when her grandfather Stephen took four stalls. “The key to the success of the market is our ability to show everyone what we can do and how we can do it. So, that means it is vital to get these people down to the market and see what goes on.
“Hunts Point is the underbelly of New York City and how food gets to where it needs to be. People have no idea how it works and the bottom line is that it is very simple but also very sophisticated on how it all comes together.”
D’Arrigo and many of the other tenants of the market are in an endless battle to make sure the market stays ahead of the curve in terms of what it offers and how it gets the job done. There are nearly 22 million people in the New York metropolitan area and, as she is quick to point out, there is no other region of the country as unique as the tri-state area in terms of a diverse and demanding consumer base and a huge number of independent operators.
“The market is essential to us,” she noted. “It is the central part of the five boroughs and the surrounding areas and New York is unique in terms of the large number of independent businesses that operate in the region. Hunts Point allows independents operators an easy way to get to us, to be able to shop us and gives us the opportunity to deliver the product to them quickly and efficiently. We are an essential lifeline to the city and the tri-state area.”
D’Arrigo emphasized that this is also a crucial period in determining the future of the Hunts Point Market. With less than seven years left on its lease, the market is in negotiations with the city of New York and the New York state government to determine what might happen down the road.
“I describe them as tough, but good, negotiations,” she said. “All of us are in the process of determining whether we start planning for much-needed renovations or figure out what else we need to do with the market, including possibly moving to another location. Right now, things are getting down to the nitty gritty, but, from what we hear, it is very positive so we are looking forward to what plan they put together. We all think are we staying put and I believe we will stay here. The meat and fish markets stayed and I think the government understands our value and how important it is to keep us in the city.”
Getting the government to understand the value of Hunts Point is part of the educational process. D’Arrigo points out the large number of jobs located at the facility and the even greater number of jobs that feed off the market.
“We employ a lot of people here, including our employees, jobbers and brokers, and it is crucial that city and state officials understand what that means,” she said, noting that D’Arrigo employs about 300 people at 36 stalls and two additional facilities at Hunts Point. “They need to understand that Hunts Points could not be allowed to disappear and, if it did, it would take many, many years for the industry to recover.”
