IRVINGTON, N.J. – Among the sparsely stocked grocery shelves, the writing was on the wall – “You’ve had the rest, now try the best!” – as an end of an era was drawing nearer. On February 15 Olympic Community Market on 40th Street (on the corner of Leslie Place) closed its doors for good. An institution founded in 1952, known then as Bundziak and Lazirko Meat Market and located at 615 Springfield Ave. in Newark, Olympic Market, or simply “Lazirko’s,” the business has been run for two generations by the Lazirko family. Son Oleh Lazirko says it is a bittersweet moment leading to his retirement.
This writer was standing in line on Friday afternoon, February 7, as many of the regular customers were ordering lunch sandwiches, while others placed their last orders of homemade meat products – the familiar Ukrainian classics, including kovbasa, kabanos, liverwurst (“pashtetivka”) and kyshka, as well as modern spins on deli favorites such as chorizo, Ukrainian pepperoni and garlic salami.