Continuing the celebration of The Market Report's 10th year!
Each month of 2026, I'll be posting a different special feature to celebrate my 10th year of writing this blog. If you haven't been keeping up with the features...
Now it's time for the second half of the "Best of" post, with a look at 2021-2025. These are some of my own favorite posts and stores, so I recommend going back and reading or re-reading them if you are interested. After this, it'll be time for our summer break!
Best of 2021
Kings Food Markets (various locations)
Various posts
Albertsons Companies officially took over Kings Food Markets, a New Jersey-based chain with locations in that state along with New York and Connecticut, in January 2021. Over the following months, I had fun tracking the changes at the various stores as they transitioned into Albertsons operations -- and my frustration at the lack of substantive changes like renovations is entertaining.
Runner-Up, 2021
Food Bazaar, Douglaston, NY
July 7, 2021
I don't tend to have a single favorite supermarket, but if I had to choose, the Douglaston Food Bazaar would definitely be in the running. My post came after Food Bazaar acquired this former Fairway in the summer of 2020 and embarked on a year-long remodel project, and this store turned out really impressive.
Best of 2022
Weavers Way Co-op, Philadelphia, PA (Mount Airy)
September 23, 2022
A completely unique store in a quirky little neighborhood of Philadelphia comes out on top as my favorite post for 2022. The store is beautiful, and feels like Grandma's house turned into a supermarket with its many winding rooms and stuff of all kinds packed to the ceiling. It's worth checking out the tour, and even more worth a stop if you're in the area.
Runner-Up, 2022
Doscher's IGA, Charleston, SC
June 10, 2022
I love unusual neighborhood grocers, idiosyncratic retail setups, and stores that really show how the community eats. Doscher's is all of these -- a former A&P Centennial that shares a wall with a new Whole Foods, that's distinctly Lowcountry in flavor. It's worth touring this old-school grocer, especially because it closed in late 2022.
Best of 2023
Kimberton Whole Foods, Ottsville, PA
February 9, 2023
An impressive independent natural food store in its own right, the Ottsville Kimberton Whole Foods features one of the best local-focused produce departments I've ever seen along with beautiful baked goods and a wide selection of natural nonfoods.
Runner-Up, 2023
BG's Value Market, Pine Grove, PA
May 23, 2023
One glance at the outside of this store -- plus the context that it's in eastern Pennsylvania -- and you can tell it's an old-school pitched-roof ACME. It's always interesting to see how independent grocers keep these small-town former chain stores alive, though this one is no longer with us. (It's now Coal Town Supermarket, which also took over a BG's in Minersville.)
Best of 2024
Okka Foods Market, Brooklyn, NY
February 27, 2024
A former Rainbow clothing store turned upscale Turkish supermarket? Sign me up. This gorgeous, stylish market opened in January 2024 and I visited the following month. The setup and selection is impressive, even more so when you remember the entire store is just 8,000 square feet.
Runner-Up, 2024
Sherman Marketplace, Sherman, CT
March 19, 2024
Supermarkets in unusual locations or buildings fascinate me. This rustic lodge-style building is tucked away at the edge of the forest, but is home to a small independent supermarket. At the time, it was the Sherman Marketplace; it's now called The Daily Market but is still in business, one of the many independent grocers dotting the landscape of small-town Connecticut.
Honorable Mention, 2024
Stop & Shop's 2024 Closures
Various posts
In the summer of 2024, Stop & Shop announced it was closing 32 locations across its store base. I was able to cover almost all of the locations, including several in their final days as Stop & Shop and some when new tenants opened up.
Best of 2025
Portugalia Marketplace, Fall River, MA
March 27, 2025
Getting to explore the Portuguese and Azorean community of southeastern Massachusetts was particularly fun, and one of the best places to experience the culture is in Fall River's Portugalia Marketplace, a Portugese grocer in a repurposed industrial building.
Runner-Up, 2025
Idylwilde Farms, Acton, MA
February 17, 2025
Idylwilde is perfection as far as produce-focused gourmet markets go. It's highly impractical as a weekly shop -- its prices are simply far too high for that -- but its specialty goods are unmatched and the produce is first-rate. Its farm-like building, a former train station, adds to the charm.
Honorable Mention, 2025
Food Bazaar, Brooklyn, NY (East New York)
May 31, 2025
Another stunning new store from Food Bazaar is the East New York one, transforming a huge former movie theater into a state-of-the-art supermarket. It's easily one of the chain's flagship stores, with deluxe decor, a huge selection, and some unusual offerings.
Coming Up Next
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We're going to take a little break (this is as much a chance for you to enjoy the summer as it is for me to, uh, catch up on writing) and return on Monday, June 29th with a visit to New Hampshire!
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