Stop & Shop
Opened: ca. 2001
Owner: Ahold Delhaize
Previous Tenants: Edwards (late 1990s-ca. 2001)
Cooperative: none
Location: 100 NJ-36, Keyport, NJ
Photographed: December 22, 2020 and March 1, 2024
Before we begin, just a heads up: this was originally posted in August 2021, but was rewritten with new photos in September 2026. Now for the post! Today's post is a look at the Stop & Shop in Keyport. I know I promised you I wouldn't show you anything on route 36 until later, but this store is actually at the intersection of 35 and 36, with 36 on the left side of the store and veering north, and 35 on the right side of the store veering south. This 52,000 square foot store was built in the late 90s as an Edwards, later converting to Stop & Shop around 2001. The store is also on the property of a long-demolished ACME, which is why Acme Style has fairly extensive coverage
here (and why I didn't feel the need to go inside when I first photographed it back in 2020). But that won't do! So let's return for a full tour with pictures from 2024.
I don't love this generation of Edwards exteriors, as they don't look particularly inviting. But this store's exterior has at least been maintained well over the years, and the inside is generally the same -- though the history of Edwards is making itself known in a few places inside, too.
This store is around 55,000 square feet, so it's large but not enormous. In fact, it feels much larger than it actually is -- though that's possibly a result of it being completely devoid of customers when I visited on a Friday afternoon. I don't know if this store gets busy at other times, but it competes directly with a much larger, much newer
ShopRite under a mile east.
In the bigger picture, Central Jersey is a problem area for Stop & Shop. The chain isn't particularly strong in New Jersey overall, but they do have some very well-performing stores in North Jersey and at the shore. Although Keyport is arguably at the beginning of the Jersey Shore, this store feels more like Stop & Shop's locations in the New Brunswick area (many of which have closed and the remaining ones don't seem to be doing particularly well).
This store opened with Edwards' decor that you can see in
this location (click through for older posts that show more pictures), and around 2010 got the renovation to the decor package you can see here now. It doesn't appear to have gotten a more recent remodel, but I don't know that for certain.
The layout hasn't been touched since the Edwards days, so floral and produce are on the right side with deli at the back of the first aisle. A seafood department and prepared foods (both since closed and converted to self-service) are next along the back wall, followed by meat to the left of that. Dairy and frozen are in the last aisle on the left side, with bakery and pharmacy in the front-left corner.
Though this store is old and definitely in need of a renovation by now, it's been kept in really good shape. It's clean and orderly, and maintenance seems to have been really good over the years.
And a look across the front-end...
It's good to see that, even though this store hasn't gotten renovations or decor upgrades in around 15 years, it's been kept clean and in good shape. That's all for now!
This post was rewritten on September 8, 2026 with new photos.
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