TOUR: Key Food - Norwood

Time flies when you're having fun, so it's hard to believe we're already on the second-to-last store tour of the Bronx group! This Key Food was previously a Pioneer Supermarket, but has been a Key Food for at least about 20 years.

This store is owned by the Luna brothers, who also own many other grocery stores in the area under many, many banners. One such store is the SuperFresh of Glen Rock.

This store is not in as good condition as the SuperFresh in Glen Rock. It looks particularly bad on the outside, although as we'll see, it gets better inside.

Definitely old-style lettering here on this sign, starting to show its age.

You enter on the right side of the store. The deli is immediately inside on the right, with produce lining the first aisle and meats on the back wall. Frozen and dairy are in the last aisle.

Hot food counter definitely closed for the day. But still a pretty nice-sized deli in a very small store.

You see what I mean, it doesn't look too bad once you get inside. Sure, definitely on the old side of things and maybe all the colors don't match, but it's nicely maintained.

As usual, the condiments and such line the aisle facing produce.

Nice color coding of the checkerboard -- green for produce, red for meat. We'll see that they deviate from Acme's similar style in a little bit.

The newer-looking shelving throws me off. I'm not sure how old it is, but I don't think this type of shelving was being put in grocery stores before 2000 or so (and the store certainly looks older than 2000). It's possible it was replaced later.

Here's a look across the front-end from the produce side.

Now for whatever reason, I felt the need to take pictures in multiple grocery aisles, even though there's not all that much to see. So enjoy the next few shots that all look alike.

Okay, these beams are an interesting feature. Too bad we can't see them better with the stuff piled around them.

Hmm, these paper towels are making the aisle awful narrow. Also, I love the grouping of baby food and Ziploc on the aisle marker. Aren't those usually related products?

Ten aisles in total, with dairy on the store side and frozen on the side wall. Where Acme used blue for frozen/dairy, this Key Food uses yellow checkerboard tile. Can't say I love it, I think red or black checkerboard works best.

Some pretty old freezer cases here looking towards the back wall of the store.

Here's a look across the front end of the store before we head out, with some awesome checkout lights! Definitely a little rough around the edges, more so than most of the stores we've seen in the Bronx, but not bad overall. And with that we're speeding right into the last week of the Bronx group!

Key Food Supermarkets

3515 Jerome Ave, Bronx, NY

Open Mon-Sat 8AM-9PM, Sun 8AM-7PM

keyfood.com

(718) 881-8790

Photographed June 2018

Snapshot: Sagal Food - Norwood

Today's snapshot is a small store that looks to be part of a local chain with a few locations in the Bronx and Brooklyn. Sagal Food is primarily a butcher shop, but they also sell general groceries and produce.

The store is located at 3430 Jerome Ave, Bronx, NY.

Photographed June 2018

Snapshot: Jerome Meat Market - Norwood

Although there are several small grocery stores along Jerome Ave here, there is only one real supermarket and that's the Key Food we're going to see on Monday. In the meantime, here's a look at a small grocery/butcher store.

You'll have to excuse my photography here, it was getting towards the end of the day, I was soaking wet from the sudden downpour (despite my umbrella), and I was tired. Nevertheless, we get a look at the Jerome Meat Market...

Small selection of beautiful produce outside the storefront.

The Jerome Meat Market is located at 3425 Jerome Ave, Bronx, NY.

Photographed June 2018

Snapshot: Big G Deli Farm Market - Norwood

Our second-to-last neighborhood is Norwood, with a low-key business district stretching along a few blocks of Jerome Ave. As I've mentioned previously, there are a lot of very small neighborhoods very close together in the Bronx.

This store has been a corner deli-grocery market for years, in fact it's been Big G for more than 30 years. I really can't tell what departments or selections the store has to offer, but it looks like mostly a deli-grocery.

It's located at the southern end of the Norwood business district, 3386 Jerome Ave at the corner of E Mosholu Pkwy.

Photographed June 2018

Streetside Sights & Scenes: Shuffle Off to Mosholu

En route from the CTown on 204th to the stores we're going to see in the coming days, I passed through the Mosholu Greenway, a pedestrian walkway along the Mosholu Parkway that's a pleasant green corridor in an otherwise very dense urban neighborhood.

It makes for a very nice alternative for walking or driving that's away from the congestion and traffic on Jerome Ave or Grand Concourse. Plus, the rain had let up, so that was nice!

How about that for an overpass? We have the Mosholu Parkway and sidewalk on the first level. Jerome Ave on the second level. The elevated subway line is on the third level, and it even has a station platform attached to it! We'll be heading north on Jerome (to the right above) for the coming stores we'll be seeing through next Tuesday.

Photographed June 2018

TOUR: CTown Supermarkets - Bedford Park North

We're heading just a block and a half east from yesterday's Fine Fare. But man, does that block and a half feel longer when you're walking through the pouring rain.

This store is a very nice one that changed ownership and was completely renovated in 2016. The renovations included a new awning and windows outside, and all new decor, fixtures, and flooring inside.

You enter on the left side of the store, with deli immediately inside on your left. Produce lines the first aisle with meat on the back wall. In the last aisle, dairy runs along the side wall with frozen facing. Exactly the same layout we've seen many times before!

Another very nice store with some great floors and ceilings!

Looking back towards the entrance (with the deli on the right and checkouts on the left) from produce.

More beautiful greens.

The produce aisle is frequently one of the dirtiest departments, but this one is spotless. Just a little cramped.

Yes, there is some department signage hidden back there!

I like the color-coding of the departments. An easy way to brighten up the store's walls and to allow the customer to easily differentiate between the two.

Dry grocery in the facing aisle.

More aisle markers of questionable color choices, but otherwise very nice aisle. (That's the Bravo on Grand Concourse, which I believe is the same owners as this store.)

Beautifully stocked shelves!

I really like the flooring again here, it really makes a big difference.

Meats on the back wall.

Frozen and dairy looking pretty darn upscale here in the last aisle!

Offices and customer service are in the corner at the front of this aisle.

Looking across the front end to a randomly-placed ATM and phone card machine. Notice that even in front of the office there is shelving, there is no wasted space here at all!

And a look at the front of produce and the deli before we head out and see the good ol' CTown van...

Nice van... but what's that?

WHY THE )@(#*(*!)">:? DO THEY KEEP MAKING THIS MISTAKE? We've seen it before, at a store with completely different owners, earlier in this group. Those words really aren't similar enough to keep confusing them like this. It's pretty funny but at the same time it's pretty embarrassing. Anyway, I still liked the store! And we're coming down to the last week and a half or so here, so we'll be wrapping up soon and moving on to something new and exciting.

CTown Supermarkets

264 E 204th St, Bronx, NY

Open Mon-Sat 8AM-9PM, Sun 8AM-7PM

ctownsupermarkets.com

(718) 295-2433

Photographed June 2018