THE STORY OF 3GUYS
Brooklyn is “home to everyone from everywhere” and so is our market! As a local family-run produce market, we are committed to selling the highest quality produce at affordable prices. Check out why we are number one.
ABOUT 3 GUYS FROM BROOKLYN
Three Guys is one of the few remaining open air fruit markets in NYC. We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Three Guys has existed in New York City in various locations for over 45 years. We have called 65th and Fort Hamilton home for the last 18 years. In 1998, Three Guys was reestablished by 3 men who have been in the produce business their whole lives. Howard and Scott Zimmerman and Philip Penta. They have kept the ideals and history that started some 30 years ago alive and flourishing.
We have the most ethnically diverse clientele anywhere. You will find every race and creed shopping here. People joke that this place is like the UN of grocery stores – everyone comes together despite their differences, to share in the great deals and freshness. It is a neighborhood place where old friends meet, neighbors run into each other, and families come shopping together. We have become a Brooklyn Landmark and are happy to give back to the community that has allowed us to flourish.
OUR HISTORY
For over 30 years and three generations, 3 Guys from Brooklyn has been a veritable institution in Brooklyn. It all started when Stanley Zimmerman put up a fruit store on 65th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway in 1975. What possessed Stanley to pick this random street corner back in the 70s, we can only guess. In 1978 Stanley along with his brother Howard and his brother in law Harry (the original Three Guys) moved to another location.
No matter where Stanley Zimmerman worked he was known to be a tough, but fair boss, a hard worker and a family man. He wanted to make sure that everyone – both rich and poor – could afford the finest fruits and vegetables, no matter what their budget, which brought about his slogan, “The Poor People’s Friend” for his business. Stanley was a legend in the business – a whiz at predicting trends! If Stanley started stocking an exotic fruit today, you can bet that by next season, it will be on the shelves of even the trendiest of Manhattan fruit stands. He instilled in his workers (including his family) discipline and taught them everything they need to know about the business – from picking out the ripest melons to providing the best service to customers.
When the corner of 65th St and Fort Hamilton Parkway became available, his two sons Scott and Howard, and their friend Philip Penta revived the business in 1998. The new “3 Guys” continued the tradition that Stanley’s store began – selling only the highest quality produce, at affordable prices. Today, they offer a hundred varieties of fruit and vegetables, along with other deli and bakery products in the same spot that Stanley Zimmerman must have, in the beginning, seen something special. Stanley visited the store everyday until the day he passed in 2009. Tragically Howard was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2003.The spot where three Guys sits is officially designated by the city as Howard Zimmerman Corner. Today, the family still remains a big part of the business and people of all ages, ethnicities and origins come from near and far to get their fruits and vegetables from 3 Guys From Brooklyn.