A vacant Upper East Side movie theater that has sat empty since 2019 is getting a new tenant. Happier Grocery, an upscale grocery chain founded in 2023, has signed a 20,500-square-foot lease at 210 East 86th Street, the former City Cinemas location, for its second store.
The space is expected to open in the latter half of 2027. Happier Grocery’s flagship store operates on Canal Street in SoHo. The company was co-founded by brothers Dawson and Wells Stellberger, the latter a former Marc Jacobs designer.
The lease was arranged by Christian B. Stanton, principal at Avison Young, who represented landlord CSC Real Estate.
“Happier Grocery brings a fresh concept to the neighborhood, combining a curated, high-end grocery experience with a social atmosphere that complements the area’s strong residential base and established food retailers,” Stanton said.
Stanton also said the deal “transforms a long-vacant former movie theater space into a vibrant, wellness-focused destination that will add new energy to one of the Upper East Side’s most active retail corridors.”
Happier Grocery has drawn comparisons to Los Angeles’s Erewhon for its boutique health-food offerings, including a $16.49 “Grey Milk” made with sesame almonds, Himalayan salt, lemon, charcoal, filtered water and maple, and an $11 mocha overnight oats cup. The store also runs an event space called The Apartment, which includes a full-service kitchen, a podcast room, a guest-in-residence bedroom for visiting chefs and artists, and a rooftop garden with Italian honeybees and produce.
Reaction to the expansion has split along familiar lines. Commenters on an Instagram announcement by @uppereastsideny cheered the news, with one writing “Christmas comes early!!!” and another posting “Weeping (positive).” Others pushed back, with one commenter writing, “Ugh…we don’t need another high-end grocery store,” and another simply replying, “No thanks.”
Progressive Grocer has reported unconfirmed rumors that Happier Grocery may also be eyeing a third location in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens neighborhood.
