The signs came down this week from two Langenstein's supermarkets in Uptown and Old Metairie, marking the end of an era for the longtime, locally owned chain.

The stores reopen Thursday as Robert Fresh Market locations, after a weeks-long transition from ownership by one longtime family of grocers to another.

Last month, the Lanaux family, which opened the first Langenstein's on the corner of Prytania and Arabella streets in 1922 and subsequently grew the business to include three supermarkets and a liquor store, announced they were selling to the Roberts, who own five stores across the New Orleans area.

The deal included the Langenstein's locations on Arabella Street and on Metairie Road as well as Prytania Wine and Spirits — the original Langenstein's location — though it did not in

See Full Page