Bedford Cheese Shop Leaves Williamsburg After 17 Years

Williamsburg’s Bedford Cheese Shop has left its namesake avenue. The popular artisanal cheese shop — long considered a must-visit on the street as the neighborhood grew into a tourist destination — closed its 265 Bedford Avenue location Sunday night, with owners citing “many factors outside of our control.” A Gramercy Park location, at 67 Irving Place, will remain open.

Known for its knowledgeable staff and curated collection of hard-to-find gourmet foods, Bedford Cheese Shop became a symbol for Williamsburg’s culture of artistry. Though Williamsburg has had its share of end-of-an-era closures as the neighborhood gentrified, the cheese shop had avoided the fate for years, and in 2016 even expanded into a much larger space down the street from its original corner store at Bedford and North 4th Street. The most recent location offered a wine bar and an expanded menu of prepared sandwiches and provisions, and it continued to be a signature of eating in the neighborhood.

The Manhattan location opened in 2012, though it maintained its Williamsburg identity with the Bedford name. Like the original, it sells specialty products and highlights education around cheese, with classes on cheesemaking.

Eater has reached out to Bedford for more details. See the full announcement below.