DeCicco's Family Markets recently announced that they will be closing their store in the Orchard Square shopping center in Cross River, NY on September 1 due to a "tremendous rent increase".  This is another blow to the hamlet of Cross River and the town of Lewisboro in which it sits which follows the loss of the Lewisboro Paint & Hardware Store in the same shopping center in February.

DeCicco's had replaced the D'Agostino grocery store in 2011. Since the store is small, it seems unlikely that another grocery store will replace it or agree to pay the rent increase that DeCicco's refused to accept. Our fear is that the landlord will divide the space into multiple stores selling other products or services. This will leave the towns of Lewisboro and North Salem with only one grocery store (ACME Markets in Goldens Bridge) within their borders for many years to come.

The signers of this petition are asking the owners and agents of the Orchard Square shopping center (including Admiral Real Estate Services) to be more reasonable about the rent increase they are seeking and work out a long-term agreement with DeCicco's Family Markets that will keep their current store in Cross River for at least 10 years. Doing this is in the best interest of the community, DeCicco's, and the owners of the shopping center.

We also pledge that we will never shop in any stores that replace DeCicco's Cross River store unless it is replaced by a grocery store of equal quality. The owners of Orchard Park need to realize that if enough people sign this petition, vendors of other products and services will not sign leases for the vacated space and they will end up losing a lot of money.