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Special Report: The Market of Maplewood - Maplewood, NJ

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The Market of Maplewood
Opened: August 2026
Owner: Adam & Erica Shapiro
Previous Tenants: A&P (opened 1928) > Kings Food Markets (1942-2020) > Green Way Markets (2021-2025) > The Food Emporium (December 2025 - August 2026)
Cooperative: Associated Supermarket Group
Location: 159 Maplewood Ave, Maplewood, NJ
Photographed: September 22, 2026
New Jersey independent supermarket operator Shap Markets has recently left Key Food and joined the Associated Supermarket Group, and in doing so, has rebranded three of their stores from Key Food brands (SuperFresh and The Food Emporium) to The Market. I previously covered Bloomingdale and Waldwick extensively here, so be sure to check that out first for a primer. Now we're here in Maplewood, for a check-in at Shap Markets' first store. This was a longtime Kings -- in business for almost 80 years -- and closed in the chain's bankruptcy in 2020. Adam and Erica Shapiro took over the store back in the fall of 2021, reopening it under Allegiance Retail as a Green Way. At the end of 2025, Green Way rebranded to The Food Emporium when Shap Markets switched over to Key Food. Less than a year later, Shap Markets has now left Key Food and joined ASG.
The store hasn't changed all that much, but like Waldwick and Bloomingdale, the owners seem to be searching for an equilibrium that involves keeping enough around that the store has what customers need while reducing shrink and, in my observations, keeping as little stock on the shelves as possible. Though you'll see most is nicely faced, a lot of the items are stocked only one or two rows deep, and the light stock is especially noticeable in perishables (which have been greatly reduced since Green Way's beginning). Look no further than the meat department for evidence of that...
It's hard to tell if this, which is happening across all of Shap Markets' stores, is simply the normal adjustments of an operator working to match the stores to the sales volume they actually do, or whether it's a sign that all of the locations are underperforming and might be struggling. This store seems much less busy these days than in the early days of Green Way, and my impression is that it's even getting less traffic than the Kings that closed. The Kings here wasn't a great store, but it certainly was established and was also generally fully stocked.
It's interesting how things change. A couple years ago, this store was still shiny and brand-new, looking great while its competition one town over languished. Now, this one seems to be just getting by at best, while the new Village Marketplace that replaced Ashley appears to be thriving -- and recently joined Allegiance, no less.
Just for a reminder of what was previously here...
As you can see, the awnings haven't been changed, and they've just added decals over the Green Way logo for the two subsequent brands. As I mentioned on the last Shap Markets post, it's hard to tell what it means when the operator has changed affiliations so many times in such a short period of time, but that can sometimes be a sign that there are deeper problems in the stores. Of course, without knowing the details of this operation, I don't know whether that's the case here. But it's certainly a stark contrast to see Shap Markets cycling through three different brands in five years while Kings was here for more than 15 times that. Here's a look at this weekend's other posts!

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