Coming Soon!

Going from the Finger Lakes directly into our new set of stores, which is just too many to call it a group. The next approximately three months will be spent seeing 89 supermarkets and grocery stores across all five boroughs. The photos have been collected over the course of about two years (summer 2016-summer 2018) but most come from a single day in July 2018.

ALSO...we're going to be mixing things up from here on out. The Market Report will continue to do what it's always done, but there are two changes.

Former supermarkets will now be featured on Grocery Archaeology, available at ga.marketreportblog.com. I'll post here as well as on social media when we have a post on Grocery Archaeology so that you can go and check it out!

Independent stores (generally with five or fewer locations, although that's kind of a dynamic definition) will now be featured on The Independent Edition, available at independent.marketreportblog.com!

We're starting with the Bronx (unfortunately, we only have five in the Bronx although more will be coming later), then moving through Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island in that order. Tomorrow's post, kicking us off in the Bronx, will be featured over at The Independent Edition!

A note on posting: there will be a post on at least one of the three blogs every day. The vast majority will still be here on The Market Report, but the others will feature assorted stores as well.

Streetside Sights & Scenes: Around the Finger Lakes

Well, I got to spend a whole week up here in the Finger Lakes, but you all didn't! I know we have readers from across the country here, so I wanted to give you all a look at the region apart from its supermarkets -- to be your tour guide, if you will. I hope this is fun and/or interesting!

To begin with, here's a view of Canandaigua Lake from a location just outside of the town of Naples. This is the area where I stayed, so it's where most of my non-supermarket pictures are going to be from.

The Finger Lakes area definitely has beautiful scenic views of the various lakes (from west to east: Conesus, Hemlock, Canadice, Honeoye, Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles, and Otisco), but it also has some gorgeous scenery available to hikers through its forests.

Meanwhile, because there is so much water in the area, there is flowing water everywhere you look. These waterfall pictures come from Grimes Glen (I think...?), a small park located just outside Naples.

And while you're in Naples, why not stop for a bite to eat at the excellent Bob & Ruth's Vineyard? You'll find delicious food, warm service, and an interior not substantially changed in many decades.

Oh, and ice cream. Which is always good.

Thanks for reading our Finger Lakes group! We'll be heading to a very different part of New York state for the next approximately three months, so get ready!

Snapshot: Tops Friendly Markets - Riverside, NY

What better way to end our Finger Lakes group than with a Tops! (In case you've missed our previous Finger Lakes Tops coverage, check it out: here, here, here, here, here, and here.

I had previously speculated that this may have been a replacement store for a now-abandoned location in nearby Riverside, but I have no confirmation of this other than a general feeling. Any input?

This store, which is located at 360 W Pulteney St in Riverside, wraps up our Finger Lakes group! We have a little more fun stuff tomorrow to round it all out, then we start something totally new on Saturday. Lots of exciting stuff in the pipeline, so come back soon!

Photographed August 2018

Snapshot: ALDI - Painted Post, NY

Just about three miles west of Corning, NY (yes, home of Corning Glass and the spectacular Corning Museum of Glass), we find this ALDI. I've seen it referred to as both Painted Post and Gang Mills, but I'm going with what Google Maps says.

This ALDI has the latest decor, which we saw in Livingston. I don't really have much else to say about it; I find ALDI incredibly boring but not unpleasant to shop in.

The building, however, is on the older side (it has been remodeled), so it's not particularly exciting. Some of the newer ALDI locations are quite nice. This location, for instance, takes up half of a former Tops in Rochester.

This location is at 3133 Silverback Ln, Painted Post, NY.

Photographed August 2018

TOUR: Tops Friendly Markets - Bath, NY

Our last stop here in Bath is a look at another really, really nice Tops. I snapped a few drive-by pictures early in the week I was here, but we returned and went into the store, so I have a full tour. It features much newer decor than the one we saw in Canandaigua, but I would imagine it opened with that decor.

Surprisingly, this store is only about 45,000 square feet. It feels much larger. Also interesting, it's almost a perfect square.

Daytime drive-by, and then a nighttime visit...

Produce and natural/organic run along the first aisle, with deli in an island facing. Bakery is at the back of the first aisle with meat/seafood on the back wall. Dairy is in the last aisle. I'm not remembering entirely, but I believe pharmacy is in an island in the middle of the grocery aisles facing the front end.

I'm assuming this time capsule was installed when the store was built in 1996. And hey, you want a (terrifying) fun fact? If we go to plan, we'll be covering the old Pathmark on Ferry St in Newark, NJ that day. It's the store that this one replaced. Yep, I've photographed it. Yep, I have The Market Report's posts scheduled that far in advance. I warned you it was terrifying. Now for this Tops!

You enter on the front side of the front end, then make a 90-degree turn to enter the produce department. Interestingly, this store's bottle deposit machines actually face into the store.

You then turn to enter a beautiful produce department (with great signage, too, by the way).

Deli runs along the opposite side of the produce department in an island.

The decor and merchandising in this store is top-notch. Very impressive! There is a substantial natural and organic selection at the back of this aisle as well.

And facing the natural and organic department is a small cafe at the back of the deli.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. It might be a controversial opinion, but Tops' bakery is far, far superior to Wegmans'. Awesome cookies and donuts!

Here's an overview of the whole first aisle from the back. See what I mean about the store feeling larger than it is?

More really nice decor on the back wall in the meat and seafood (closed for the night) areas.

The decor is very similar to the Dan's Supreme Key Food stores of a few years ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if they shared a design firm (Off the Wall).

Pretty standard but still quite attractive grocery aisles.

The last aisles contain frozen and dairy products.

The lower ceiling appears to be a little bit of an impediment to the decor, but they made it work.

And beer is in the front corner of that aisle.

As I mentioned, I don't exactly recall where the pharmacy is but I believe it's in an island in the grocery aisles.

And now for a look across the front end before wrapping up our coverage of Bath...

We're also getting very close to wrapping up our coverage of the Finger Lakes! We'll be moving down towards the area just outside of Elmira/Corning tomorrow.

Tops Friendly Markets

309 W Morris St, Bath, NY

Open 24 Hours

topsmarkets.com

(607) 776-1015

Photographed August 2018

Snapshot: Save-a-Lot - Bath, NY

We are returning to the slightly larger small town of Bath, located south of the south end of Keuka Lake, for two more stores. (We've previously seen a former A&P and a former ACME.) Now for two stores that are still operating here.

On our post of the former ACME, I wrote (and speculated) a little about the history of that store and this one, which might be very closely connected. They are located in very close proximity to each other:

"The replacement ACME probably, as Acme Style points out, closed in 1994 before a sale to Penn Traffic. (In 1979, it had been switched to the Pennsylvania division, not as strange a choice as it might seem since Bath is only 30 miles north of the Pennsylvania border.) Interestingly, by 2009, Penn Traffic was operating a P&C Foods at 400 W Morris St in Bath (just around the corner from this store at 380 W Washington St), which was sold to Tops Friendly Markets in 2010 before being sold once again to a Save-A-Lot owner in 2012. The Eckerd next door became a new Save-A-Lot and a Tractor Supply Co moved into the former P&C. By 2009, this former ACME was open and running as a Salvation Army. It seems that the 400 W Morris location would logically have been a replacement for this location, as it looks slightly larger. However, it's clear from the photo that that's a pretty old building, so either (a) it was something prior to P&C, or (b) it was a replacement almost immediately after they took over the former ACME." Now it's time to look at the P&C/Save-a-Lot property!

Definitely check out the article about this store above. Some interesting information and a great picture of what this store used to look like.

This store is located at 400 W Morris St, just outside of downtown Bath. We'll be heading towards the center of Bath for tomorrow's store tour of Bath's largest supermarket!

Photographed August 2018

Snapshot: Prattsburgh Market Place - Prattsburgh, NY

About 10 miles south of Naples, we encounter the even smaller town of Prattsburgh. It's entirely possible the Prattsburgh Market Place is its largest business.

Another store I wish I could have gone inside, but I'm happy to just have the exterior pictures too.

Interesting window placement. This store is located at 2 S Main St, Prattsburgh, NY.

We still have the ShurFine logo visible here too!

Photographed August 2018