Murchison Road seafood market closes after 12 years
A Fayetteville market that served steamed seafood across from Fayetteville State University for more than a decade closed earlier this summer.
Located at 1047 Murchison Road, NY Supreme Steamers was founded in 2011 by Brooklyn native Tyrone Burnett, 67. He said his goal was to help people eat healthier by offering platters of steamed seafood and vegetables.
The restaurant was a spot where soldiers, police officers, city staffers and Fayetteville State students ate, he said, and about two-thirds of his clientele used food stamps to pay for their meals.
Customers ranged from “park bench to Park Avenue, in terms of socioeconomic status,” Burnett said.
But a falling out with a new business partner and the refusal of the leasing company to renew the restaurant's lease resulted in NY Supreme Steamers closing for good on June 3, Burnett said.
Becki Ross, a broker at Grant-Murray Property Management who manages the lease, declined to comment Aug. 21.
Hafeena Ali-Martinez, who owns Feena's fruit gelato shop and dollar store in the same shopping center, said that both she and Burnett had weathered the challenges of running a small business, including operating during the pandemic.
“This guy had gotten through the hardest part,” she said. “For something like this to happen is really sad.”
In the meantime, Burnett said he remains hopeful about reopening the business that helped feed thousands.
He said he is considering reopening Steamers as a ghost kitchen, he would prepare his signature seafood meals for pickup or delivery.
“I'm an optimist. If I got the life and energy in me, I'm gonna make what I need to happen, happen,” he said.
Potential reopening on Reilly Road
Burnett already has a new location in mind – Ali-Martinez's forthcoming commissary kitchen on North Reilly Road, where food truck owners and caterers will soon be able to rent kitchen space.
Renovations are currently underway for the property at 724 N. Reilly Road, she said, though she doesn't have a timeline for its completion.