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Brooklyn's Artisanal Mayo Shop Is Dead (For Now)
By
Nell Casey
Published Jun 16, 2016
Modified Jun 17, 2016
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By
Nell Casey
Published Jun 16, 2016
Modified Jun 17, 2016
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Everyone, please step off your bikes for a moment and put down your Nitro Cold Brews because we have some news. Empire Mayonnaise, Brooklyn's artisanal mayo store, is closing.
The store, opened by OddFellows ice cream man Sam Mason and business partner and designer Elizabeth Valleau, will shutter its doors in Prospect Heights at the end of July, reports Brokelyn. Those seeking Saffron, Preserved Lemon and White Truffle mayo to slather on their bespoke ham sandwiches will need to stock up now or...hope the brand is resurrected online.
The shop, which upon opening was immediately derided as a symbol of yupster foodiot excess, started in 2012 on Vanderbilt Avenue, selling 4-ounce jars of the creamy white stuff for $6 to $8. Years later it still remained a poster child for Brooklyn's rampant and, often ridiculous, gentrification, culminating in an SNL season highlight parody last year.
We've reached out to Mason to see if he has a eulogy he'd like to offer for his broken mayonnaise shop, and we'll update if we hear back.
It's a real sign of the times, folks, and a canary in the coal mine for the US economy. And that's why we need President Trump to make America's favorite condiment great again.
Update: Owners Mason and Valleau reached out last night with some hopeful news about the future of Empire Mayonnaise, and it looks like their imminent demise may actually be more of an ashes/Phoenix kinda thing. "Yeah it's sad to see that Lil' shop go, but the lease was up and it's just too small to make sense anymore," Mason explained. "We'll be in a bigger space soon." Valleau also confirmed some bigger plans in the works for the business: "We've been making the best of 300 square feet for too long! Time to grow :)"
Long may they reign.
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Nell Casey
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