Smith Street’s Long-Vacant Rite Aid May Become a New Grocery—But What’s Happier Grocery Planning for Carroll Gardens?

On Smith Street, just below the F train tracks, the former Rite Aid at the corner of Carroll Street has sat dark for nearly a year. Now, a glimmer of movement: city records show the site was quietly purchased by a co-owner of Happier Grocery, the upscale, health-focused market with a cult following in Manhattan and Williamsburg.

Neighbors on their Thursday morning coffee runs paused to read the new building permit posted in the window this week. The news has already sparked speculation: Will Happier bring its signature organic produce, vegan pastries, and $10 adaptogenic lattes to Carroll Gardens? For a neighborhood where independent grocers are embedded in daily life—from Caputo’s mozzarella to Union Market’s prepared foods—the prospect is both enticing and fraught.

The 12,000-square-foot space on Smith has been a conspicuous gap in the local streetscape since Rite Aid’s abrupt closure last fall. Nearby business owners, like Michael LaRosa of Smith Canteen, say foot traffic dropped after the pharmacy shuttered. “This block felt emptier,” he said. “A grocery could change that, if they get it right.”

As of Thursday afternoon, Happier Grocery’s co-owner, Dawson Stellberger, has not publicly confirmed the store’s plans for the site. But filings with the Department of Buildings suggest an extensive interior renovation—hinting at a full-scale market rather than a pop-up or specialty kiosk. If the deal moves forward, it would signal a new wave of upmarket retail joining Smith’s row of family-run bakeries and wine shops.

For now, Carroll Gardens residents are left to read the tea leaves—and perhaps hope for shorter lines at the neighborhood’s existing markets. With fall routines settling in and school pickups resuming along Smith Street, the question lingers: will Happier Grocery be the next chapter for this storied corner, or just another sign of the city’s ever-shifting retail landscape?