Employees Let Go In Long Island Supermarket Sale 'Invited To Reapply'

MATTITUCK, NY — New details have emerged regarding the sale of the Mattituck Marketplace — employees who were initially let go by former owners during the transition have been "invited to reapply," new owner Miguel Quezada told Patch Wednesday.

Quezada told Patch that while yes, the staffers had indeed been let go on Monday, they were welcome to come in and reapply, and many have been taking him up on the offer. "They're coming in," he said.

Quezada also said that the store will still operate under the Key Food helm and the name, Mattituck Marketplace will remain the same. "Everything will stay the same," he said.

He has a dream, however: "I'd like to breathe new life into this store."

Tracy Raynor, who worked for the supermarket under various owners for 37 years, told Patch Monday that she and all the store's employees were reportedly let go with severance Monday after the store was sold.

Store manager Sheila Murphy confirmed with Patch that the store had been sold and that Monday was the last day.

Neither Key Food Stores Co-Op Inc., under which the store operates, nor Dan's Supreme Supermarkets, the former owner, returned requests for comment.

Raynor said she learned only days ago that the staff would be let go from her union rep. As shop steward, she told Patch that she herself watched employees sign the paperwork after being let go.

On Wednesday, Raynor told Patch that her union had told her she could reapply. But unsure of whether she'd be entitled to the same salary and benefits, her decision was unclear, she said.

Quezada, when asked if the store would be union or non-union, said he could not respond as "details are still being worked out."

Raynor's Local 342 union also did not immediately return a request for comment.

Despite the store's many iterations, most recently from Waldbaum's to Mattituck Marketplace in 2015, Raynor has been with the store for more than three decades, weathering changes in ownership and even the pandemic.

When, in 2015, Waldbaum's was sold to Key Food — a federal bankruptcy court judge in White Plains approved the sale for $4.375 million, SoutholdLOCAL reported at the time — the store reopened under the helm of Dan's Supreme Supermarkets.

Although, in 2015, there was some concern that jobs would be lost, ultimately, the union stepped in and the staff kept their positions, according to Raynor.

The news of the sale was difficult for the staff, she said. On social media, she wrote, "It's a wrap," as she hung up her name tag for the last time.

She said she was grateful for the North Fork community's response.

"I have been getting phone calls and text messages from all my former colleagues and from family and friends," she said. "It's been an emotional roller coaster for the past couple of days."

When she thought the end had come for all employees, including herself, Raynor said: "I have to start over again at 54 years old?" she said. "This is all I knew."

Raynor said she's had job offers and will take a few weeks off to weigh her options. "I have been blessed with phone calls for work," she said. "At this stage of my life, I'm going to take my time, find something a little different."

The community has opened its hearts to Raynor and the other employees, offering jobs and support.

One person wrote on Facebook: "Tracy, I just want you to know I am wishing for you all the goodness and kindness you have given this community. Whatever your next step is, I hope it brings you the smiles you brought your customers. You have been a perfect example of one who pays it forward. It is now your turn to reap what you have sown. Best wishes to you."
And, too, there are the rich memories, of babies who came to the supermarket with their mothers who have now returned with their own children.

"I'm so blessed and humbled by this community," Raynor said.