Long Island, where he launched his concept. Cullen leased a vacant garage at 171-06 Jamaica Avenue, on the corner of 171st Street and Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica (Queens), near a busy shopping district. The store, named "King Kullen", opened on August 4, 1930. After an over 80 year presence in New York City, King Kullen left that market in 2011 with the sale of its 3 remaining New York City stores in Eltingville, Graniteville, and Greenridge on Staten Island. Very soon after opening the first King Kullen, customers came from 100 miles away to shop there. The first store was ten times larger than the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company stores in the market. The second store was opened a few miles away from the first store, on Jamaica Avenue in Bellaire, Queens. Within two years of opening, the company operated eight stores with sales totaling $2.9 million. The early stores were 5200 to 6400 square feet big. Within 6 years of opening, King Kullen had 15 locations. By 1952, King Kullen had 30 stores, ranging in size from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet. Cullen died at Flushing Hospital on April 24, 1936, at the age of 52, from peritonitis following an appendectomy. His widow Nan took over King Kullen, becoming chairman of the board. She was joined by her sons James A. Cullen (then 24) and John B. Cullen (then 15). In 1937, King Kullen stores began supplying customers with shopping carts. In the 1950s, conveyor belts, air conditioning, automatically opening exterior doors, tile floors (easier to clean than wood), and in-store music systems were introduced. In the 1960s, King Kullen began stocking non-food items. In 1966, King Kullen purchased the nine-store Blue Jay Markets, a Suffolk County based grocery chain. Blue Jay had been owned and operated by Frank Radau of Smithtown. In 1969, King Kullen bought the Hinsch Produce Co. In 1982, King Kullen introduced in-store bakeries. King Kullen remains owned and operated by the Cullen family, with second, third and fourth generation family members working for the company. During the 1980s, former New York City Councilman Jack Muratori served as a King Kullen Board member. In 1995, King Kullen opened Wild by Nature, an independent subsidiary. Wild by Nature is a grocery store marketed as selling wholesome, natural products. Wild by Nature has five locations (Setauket, Huntington, Hampton Bays, Oceanside and West Islip). Locations King Kullen