Nope, No Busway After All

UPDATE: JAN 14: Trader John’s has covered up their sign. Apparently the idea didn’t fly past the lawyers.

Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) — Trader Joe’s Co., the operator of specialty grocery stores, sued Gristede’s Foods Inc., alleging the supermarket chain committed trademark infringement by opening a food market in New York called Trader John’s.

Gristede’s is opening the Trader John’s “knock-off food market” three blocks from a Trader Joe’s store in Manhattan, according to a complaint filed Jan. 8 in federal court in New York. The Trader John’s name misleads consumers and diminishes the Trader Joe’s brand, according to the complaint.

“We take seriously any attempt to infringe on our trademark and we are taking the necessary action to stop this particular attempt,” Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki said in an e-mailed message.

The lawsuit has no merit, said John Catsimatidis, Gristede’s chief executive officer.

“My name is John and I am a trader so I don’t know what their problem is,” he said in a telephone interview. Gristede’s lawyers haven’t seen the complaint yet, Catsimatidis said. “We’ll see what happens.”

The Trader John’s store at 5 West 14th St. in Manhattan will open Jan. 15, Catsimatidis said.

The Trader Joe’s store is three blocks away at 142 East 14th St. The company has 300 locations in 25 states and Washington. Gristede’s has about 35 shops in the New York area, Catsimatidis said.

Trader Joe’s sent a “cease and desist” letter Jan. 6 to Gristede’s, asking it to “immediately change the name and decor of the infringing store,” according to the company’s complaint.

The renaissance of the Jefferson Market on 6th near 11th is a letdown. While the prepared foods section is still OK, the rest of the store has been transformed into a humdrum Gristedes. All the local flavor is pretty much obliterated.

Curious about how the renovation of Union Square is proceeding? The Villager has all the details here. The bottom line: on schedule.

Here’s the news: “The New York City Water Board voted on Friday morning to approve a 14.5 percent increase for water and sewer rates, the largest increase since 1992. When the new rate is in place on July 1, according to the city’s Independent Budget Office, water rates will have risen a cumulative 77 percent since 2001, and double-digit increases are expected to keep coming for at least a few more years.”

This is one of those uncontrollable costs that bedevil the co-op’s budget every year. The only thing we can do about it: use less water. We’ve already taken steps to examine our infrastructure and make sure we have discovered any sources of waste and leaks. Other than that, it’s all about less consumption.

BobaBox, located in our building, didn’t last too long.

Next week (May 27 to May 31), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors inside the building. We will be working on the new sidewalks around the building and installing new curbs and will be removing the sidewalk shed along 13th st. Additionally we will be working on the roofs of the building. The site will be closed on Monday, the 27th for the holiday.

The following week (June 3 to June 7), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors as well as sidewalk work.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, May 25th for interior, roof, and sidewalk activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.