Widdis Food Market
Opened: summer 2026
We find ourselves back in Rossville, out on Staten Island, to check in on an independent supermarket that's had quite a bit happen in the last few years. This was a Mignosi's Supermarket -- part of a local Staten Island chain -- back in the 1990s through 2022 (though the Mignosis sold it to new owners in the mid-00s). In 2022, new owners took over and swapped the Mignosi's name for Ideal Fresh Market, and I wrote extensively about that transition here. Now, it's been sold again, and despite having just had its official grand opening as Ideal in the summer of 2025, extensive renovations are again underway.
They're already done (or close to it) on the outside, with a new facade and new logo up. What's Widdis? Well, it's named after the Widdi family, who own this store along with a handful of others in Brooklyn. Back in 2024, I reported on the opening of a stunning new Bushwick Foodtown, and that one is owned by Shady Widdi who also appears to own this one. Now, the Widdis here have embarked on a big overhaul -- probably to get this store looking more like that one in Bushwick. The bones are already in, with these big circular structures having been installed in the ceiling. You can see almost exactly the same setup in the Bushwick store. Remarkably, although that Foodtown feels quite large, this store is actually slightly larger.
It looks like a new island is being built out here, possibly for deli and bakery which are currently on the back wall.
And produce has been condensed over to the right side with new fixtures.
It's interesting to see the bones of what I assume is the same decor and setup as the Bushwick store. Either way, the Widdis' stores are beautiful, so I have no doubt this one will come out great too.
As an aside, this store is now affiliated with Allegiance Retail, like the Foodtown locations the Widdis also own. (Another Widdi owns a Key Food in Brooklyn, but I don't know if they're related.) After a slump and some notable losses, Allegiance seems to have found its footing again and is back at it with new stores. In addition to this one, they're also in the process of converting a Brooklyn Shop Fair to Pathmark.
I'm not sure whether Widdis removed an aisle to build the new island that's incoming, but I don't think so.
The deli counter has been downsized and meat/seafood have been removed entirely, so I wonder if the plan is to move deli and bakery to the island and replace it with a new, larger meat/seafood area. It's hard to tell this early in the renovation.
In fact, Widdis is still resetting and stocking the store. In a few more weeks, it'll be clearer what the end goal is here, but it's off to a really good start.
New freezer cases have come in here, which replace a single-tier coffin freezer. That's probably a way to increase selection in the space that's still relatively small.
Owner: Shady Widdi
Previous Tenants: Mignosi's Supermarket (1990s-2022) > Ideal Fresh Market (2022-2026)
Cooperative: Allegiance Retail Services
Location: 1006 Rossville Ave, Staten Island, NY
Photographed: September 4, 2026
Health and beauty has been moved out of the aisles and onto the front wall beyond the registers, too, which helps get more selection into the grocery aisles. It's going to be really interesting to see how this store comes out, but it looks like Widdis so far has taken an adequate, nicely expanded Ideal and built the groundwork for turning it into a first-rate supermarket. In the meantime, check out this weekend's other posts here!
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