Iconic Queens butcher shop Morscher's Pork Store closing after 70 years
NEW YORK -- There's barely been standing room inside Morscher's Pork Store since the neighborhood heard the news that after nearly 70 years in business, the iconic Queens butcher shop is saying goodbye.
Co-owner Herbert "Herbie" Morscher learned the trade from his father, who learned it from his dad. The family came from the former Yugoslavia with their recipes and techniques for European specialties from scratch.
Through the years, Morscher's has been able to keep pace with a changing Ridgewood and withstand the setbacks of the pandemic. But a new rent raise is proving too much to bear.
Morscher said the landlord, a part-owner, is hiking the storefront rent by more than triple.
Antonetta "Toni" Binanti runs nearby Rudy's Bakery. She and Herbie Morscher took over their family businesses around the same time.
"I feel like a piece of me is gone," she said.
Morscher is proud of his shop's rich history and the way it has touched lives in the neighborhood.
"We're going out on a high note," he said.
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