The Market Report

As I love to do, we're going out with a bang at this store, which is our last of the Bronx/Yonkers group. It's a former Pathmark (one of two in Yonkers, the other was just up the street at 1757 Central Park Ave while this is at 1789 Central Park Ave). The 40,000 square foot store was taken over by Lyndhurst, NJ-based Hmart, the country's largest Korean supermarket chain. It's a family business, founded by Il Yeon Kwon , a Korean immigrant, and the chain's president is his daughter, Stacey Kwon , who lives in Paramus . Oh yeah, and happy September 22nd . (One of these days I'll stop coming up with random places to put music I like in my posts.) Side note, it's also the first anniversary of The Independent Edition ! While ethnic supermarkets have a reputation for frequently taking over chain stores with little modification, Hmart (along with a few other operators, such as Food Bazaar ) have shattered that reputation recently as they take over chain s...

Original Tenant:  A&P Address:  589 Tuckahoe Rd, Yonkers, NY Opened:  early 1960s Closed:  unknown Later Tenants:  unknown Photographed:  March 2019 This former centennial A&P is located just up the street from yesterday's ShopRite , though I would imagine the ShopRite dates to at least 10 years after the A&P (mid-70s at the earliest). Perhaps the ShopRite forced the A&P out of business, or maybe the A&P closed before the ShopRite opened. Either way, I'm pretty sure that the original A&P sign post still stands, although I do think the sign frame at the top has been replaced. We have one more store in Yonkers before we move on, which we'll see tomorrow on The Market Report !

Right over the highway from Bryn Mawr we find the ShopRite of Tuckahoe, the second (and slightly larger) ShopRite in Yonkers. The other is the ShopRite of Greenway Plaza , which is 40,000 square feet to this store's 49,000 square feet. Like Greenway, this store is owned by SRS, Inc., the corporate division of Wakefern that owns about 30 supermarkets. While I'm a little fuzzy on Greenway's history, this one was previously owned by Big V Supermarkets and transferred in ownership around 2000 when Big V went bankrupt. And like Greenway, this store looks to be nicely updated on the inside. This store is located at 278 Tuckahoe Rd. Photographed March 2019

In the 2015-16 A&P bankruptcy, CVS successfully bid on this 30,000 square foot, oddly situated  A&P Foodmarket  in the northwestern part of Yonkers. The problem became, there is only one other grocery store in all of northwestern Yonkers, a 5,000 square foot Foodtown Express . CVS faced immediate community backlash from residents who needed a grocery store in this neighborhood. Ultimately, when local council members stepped in, a deal was reached to split the building evenly between CVS and a 15,000 square foot Key Food Marketplace owned by Mike Hassen -- a real win for the neighborhood. Both tenants began renovations and opened as soon as possible. When you enter the Key Food, it's easy to forget you're in half of a former supermarket. The new store is beautiful and spacious in its own right. The first aisle, which is extra-wide, contains mostly produce, with deli/bakery at the back and single-serve beverages facing. Although they do appear to bake in-s...

There are three Foodtown stores in Yonkers, but unfortunately I've only been to one. The Linden Street location is near Getty Square, and is a former A&P Centennial-turned-CTown. Meanwhile, the Lake Avenue location was previously the Lake Avenue IGA Supermarket. All three Foodtowns are owned by the Estevez family (and hey, Robin Estevez wrote a book  that you should go buy!). This 5,000 square foot store is much smaller than most Foodtowns, hence the Foodtown Express branding. Produce lines the front wall, with meat in the first aisle. Frozen runs along the right side wall and dairy is in the last aisle (back wall), with deli, beer, and checkouts on the left side wall. The first grocery aisle (the produce/meat aisle is not numbered). That aisle included, there are only six aisles in the store. Frozen foods on the right-side wall of the store. While these fixtures look fairly old, the flooring and signage are nicely updated. Lots of selection in a very small ...