The Market Report

Today's (unexpected!) post is somewhere between a Look Inside and a full tour. As we reported on Facebook a while back, Aquí Market has taken over the former A&P in the affluent rural/suburban town of Califon, NJ. Recently, I have been in touch with a local resident, Gerry K., who has a few photos of the new store. (According to him, this blog was one of the few online sources of information about Aquí. Looking back at my previous Aquí posts, I think I was a little harsh on them! This also explains why I have over 1300 views on that post alone.) All the photos here are his. Let's have a look!    Notice that this is actually a slightly different logo from what's used on the JC and Bridgewater stores. Gerry's Yelp review points out the store's Outpost name, which he thinks might suggest the owners are interested in opening other Outposts. Aquí has maintained the basic structure and appearance of the facade, while adding the rustic wood and stone touche...

Aqui Market Opened:  ca. 2015 Owner:  Araceli Perez Previous Tenants:  ACME Markets (1970s-2010) > Fine Fare (2010-ca. 2012) > Twin City Supermarkets (ca. 2012-ca. 2015) Cooperative:  Retail Grocers Group/General Trading Location:  216 Garfield Ave, Jersey City, NJ Photographed:  January 7, 2026 Before we begin, just a heads up: this was originally posted in October 2017, but was rewritten with new photos in March 2026. Now for the post! Jersey City, one of the largest cities in the state, has multiple different neighborhoods that all have very distinct personalities. A while back, we toured the Aquí Market on Sip Ave in Jersey City (since closed), which is in the Journal Square neighborhood, a cosmopolitan and very diverse section of the city. We're here for Aquí Market's other location, in the far-south part of Jersey City on the Bayonne border, a quieter, more suburban neighborhood. This store opened in the 1970s as an Acme. Photo from Acme St...

Around spring 2016, three Twin City Supermarkets, which I believe were all owned by the same people, switched from Twin City to a new store banner, Aquí Market. ( Aquí means "here" in Spanish.) The locations were at 2-16 Garfield Ave, Jersey City, NJ (a former ACME that became a Fine Fare, then Twin City); 216 Sip Ave, Jersey City, NJ (this one); and 617 E Main St, Bridgewater, NJ (which I believe is still co-branded Twin City/Aquí). This store opened in the 1950s as a Safeway, then became Finast (First National Stores). After Finast closed, a ShopRite opened here, before closing in the mid to late 1980s. Twin City opened some time after; I don't know how much time was in between. Thanks to JoshAustin610 and Styertowne on Flickr for the history! Photo of the store pre-rebrand. From Yelp. The conversion to Aquí Market consisted of a repaint of the entire building (which desperately needed some work, it seems), along with a decor swap inside and new bags and c...