The Market Report

Original Tenant: ShopRite Address: 1220 South Ave, Plainfield, NJ Opened:  1961 Closed:  1968 Later Tenants:  Pathmark (1968-1980s) > Walgreens (1986-2001) > Times Farmers Market (??-ca. 2014) > Green Farmers Market (ca. 2014-2016) > Key Food Supermarkets (2016) > Fig Tree Market (2017-2019) Photographed:  July 2020 We're returning to 1220 South Ave here at the northern end of Plainfield, outside of downtown. The 16,000 square foot space has hosted no fewer than six different grocery stores during its 60 year life, and possibly more since I'm not sure what, if anything, was in here between Walgreens and Times Farm. I'm not sure whether it was related to Times Farm in Union . It seems that Fig Tree lasted a little less than two years, making it the second-shortest-lived store on this property behind Key Food . The entire property is slated for redevelopment now. It's always very sad to see the "now open" signage still up after the store closes f...

Fine Fare Supermarkets Owner: unknown Opened:  ca. 2013 Previous Tenants:  Safeway > Finast > Foodtown > Drug Fair Cooperative:  Retail Grocers Group Location:  1479 South Ave, Plainfield, NJ Photographed:  July 2018 and July 2020 We are outside of downtown here in Plainfield for our last Plainfield store! The 15,000 square foot store is about half of an arched-roof Safeway, later Finast and Foodtown, which was then subdivided into a video store and a Drug Fair, each taking half of the store. (The store runs along South Avenue, with a parking lot at either end, so it's natural that it would just be split down the middle.) The video store became a beauty supply store, and Drug Fair closed in 2007. In 2010, a CTown Supermarket opened up shop in the former Drug Fair space, which around 2013 was switched over to Fine Fare. This Fine Fare, which strikes me as a very well-run supermarket, is likely a key reason that the Fig Tree Market (and its assorted pr...

Supremo Foodmarket Owner: Eddie Trujillo Opened:  ca. 2000 Previous Tenants:  Bamberger's > Macy's Cooperative:  none Location:  249 E Front St, Plainfield, NJ Photographed:  September 2018 & July 2020 Contributor:  Steve (2018 photos) A fine specimen of midcentury American department stores! This two-floor, 80,000 square foot building was originally home to a Bamberger's department store, then in 1986 the store became a Macy's which lasted all of six years before closing in 1992. For any department store enthusiasts out there, occasional Acme Style contributor and retail historian Michael Lisicky has published a book on the history of Bamberger's. But we're here to tour the Supremo Food Market which today occupies the approximately 40,000 square feet on the ground floor of the building. And what a building it is! It's certainly seen better days, but it's still an instantly-recognizable former  department store. The first photo shows the back...