Massive storm results in rare Hunts Point closure

The Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx is famous for being open 365 days a year, with its 30-plus family-owned merchants handling more than 210 million packages of produce annually. But on Feb. 1, the market was forced to close due to a State of Emergency in New York issued because of the heavy snowfall, which brought nearly two feet of snow to the area.

At 10 p.m. Monday night, buying on the market stopped and it stayed closed until 7 a.m., Tuesday morning, although truck deliveries continued through the night.

“The roads and bridges were closed down, so once the city closed down, we were forced to close down,” said Phillip Grant, general manager of Hunts Point. “We opened again this morning and it’s business as usual now.”

Grant noted this was one of only a handful of times the market was forced to close in the past few decades. 

The Hunts Point team had been following the weather all week, and expected something much smaller, with reports originally saying six to eight inches. Had that occurred, Hunts Point would have stayed open.

“This was just a steady snowfall and as we shoveled it came right back,” Grant said. “We have an in-house staff that clears snow and we ramp it up with an outside service, so we had a plan in motion.”

During the hours it was closed, the Hunts Point team executed its snow procedures, which included removing all the snow from the property and clearing out the docks so trucks could enter and companies could do business.

“We were planning on staying open because our rule is we never close the market, but once the city made the decision, we had no choice,” Grant said. “Even though the market was clear, no one could get to us, and the State of Emergency told people not to be on the road.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the market was buzzing and the roads were drivable, and work continued on making sure snow removal was happening.

“It’s a slower day but we expect tonight to be busier because folks will have missed one or two days of buying because of the snow,” Grant said.

The operators on the market weren’t forced to close, but the market made the decision internally. Still, there were plenty of inbound trucks that came in overnight and they were unloaded this morning.

“It’s almost like a typical Saturday for us, where we’re not selling but vehicles and people can still come in,” Grant said.

Evan Kazan, director of business development for Target Interstate Systems Inc., which does business on the market, said the road conditions were very dangerous, and the MTA closed all above ground transportation making public transportation unrealistic, so it’s not surprising Hunts Point closed.

“The closest subway station is over one mile from the market so without bus service people would have to walk to the market,” he said. “In addition to the safety, having less vehicles in the market make clearing the snow easier and more effective.”