Bob Gittleman and his wife, Shira, have owned their Carmichael deli nearly 17 years. But he says they couldn't match Trader Joe's prices for kosher pre-certified kosher chicken and beef. Lezlie Sterling / Sacramento Bee  

Bob Gittleman, who has run Bob's Butcher Block & Deli in Carmichael for nearly 17 years, is closing his business next month and moving his family to New York.

The reason? Too much competition from Trader Joe's and not enough growth in the Orthodox Jewish community, he says.

"I've been losing money for the past couple of years," says the 51-year-old deli owner. When offered a job as general manager of a kosher food chain in Queens, he took it.

Gittleman says his sales started slipping when Trader Joe's began selling kosher-certified chicken and beef -- at prices he couldn't match. Other mainstream grocery stores also started offering kosher goods.

"It's good for the (Jewish) community that more products are available with kosher certification," he says. But it hasn't been good for him.

The reaction from customers? Some are "shocked," he says, adding he feels bad for the longtime customers and business travelers who frequented his shop.

"It's just a shame the community couldn't support a store like ours," he says. Gittleman's last day for business will be in mid-October.