The Market Report

Yesterday we took a look at three different bags in which circular ads would be mailed to people's homes. This first bag features an advertisement for Twin City Supermarkets, a local chain in northern NJ. This bag was printed and distributed about 5 years ago. Since then, the Bridgewater and Jersey City locations have been converted to the Aqui Market banner and a new Aqui Market has opened in Califon. See our coverage of Califon , Sip Avenue , Garfield Avenue , and Elizabeth on The Market Report. The rest of the stores listed on this bag will be coming soon to the blog -- yes, I've photographed them all, along with more detailed coverage of Califon! And this bag for Supremo Food Market. This bag has long confused me, mostly because I don't actually know how old it is. But I'd assumed Plainfield and Irvington opened around 2005-2007 (with Elizabeth being the first and Jersey City being the second). I don't think the bag is actually that old so that means they were...

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...

Twin City Supermarket Opened:  1985 Owner:  Alfonso Perez Previous Tenants:  Twin City roller rink Cooperative:  Retail Grocers Group Location:  1016 Sherman Ave, Elizabeth, NJ Photographed:  March 12, 2025 Before we begin, just a heads up: this was originally posted in December 2017, but was rewritten with new photos in January 2026. Now for the post! We've seen supermarkets in former movie theaters , drugstores , auto garages , banks , car dealerships ... but this is the only roller rink-turned-supermarket I'm aware of. This building dates back to the 1940s as the Twin City roller rink , so named because of its location right on the border between Newark and Elizabeth, in Elizabeth's North Elizabeth neighborhood. As a matter of fact, this was a roller rink my parents actually went to when they were growing up in Elizabeth. The building is pretty large for an independent urban supermarket, coming in at 43,000 square feet, plus a roughly 40,000 square foot ...

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...