Myers of Keswick: A British grocery store in the West Village offering 'comforts from home'
NEW YORK - When Peter Myers found himself homesick in New York City, he got an idea.
A native of Keswick, an English market town with lake and mountain views, he'd moved abroad for a change of pace. Though he enjoyed his new surroundings, he missed his favorite British products.
"My dad was like, 'Wait a minute. There must be more homesick people like me,'" his daughter Jennifer Myers-Pulidore said.
In 1985, Peter and his wife Irene opened Myers of Keswick, a British grocery store in the West Village.
They stocked the shelves with imports like digestive biscuits and Yorkshire pudding mix. Peter leaned on his training as a butcher to prepare homemade sausages and savory pies, all while growing the shop's inventory to meet the demand of fellow expats.
Nearly four decades later, his daughter Jennifer runs the shop, still frequented by Brits seeking hard-to-find items from home.
"I always like to describe it as a little taste of England," she said.
Her broad selection includes HP brown sauce, Percy Pig gummy candies, and Ribena blackcurrant concentrate.
"And of course, you can't have a British food store without tea," she said.
Born and raised in the US, she is proud to honor her roots and continue her father's legacy.
"We keep going because we know there's a niche and a need for your comforts from home," she said.
Myers of Keswick
634 Hudson St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 691-4194
https://myersofkeswick.com/
