The Market Report

Original Tenant: Waldbaum's Address:  778 Manor Rd, Staten Island, NY Opened:  ca. 1960 Closed:  2007 Later Tenants:  King Kullen (2007-2009) Photographed:  March 2020 This building, a bit west along the Staten Island Expressway from Olive Tree , is actually two floors, with both floors being taken up originally by Waldbaum's. The lower (basement) level, which ends up being ground level on the side of the building and was originally the backroom, later became a CVS. King Kullen bought this Waldbaum's in 2007 before closing in 2009. At that time, after extensive renovations, CVS moved into the top floor around 2010. Queens, NY-based Fresh n Save Marketplace, a Key Food affiliate, moved into the rather dingy basement and equipped it nicely for a brand-new supermarket. Although Fresh n Save didn't last, a Key Food operator moved in, eventually selling to a CTown operator that closed and was replaced by the third SuperFresh on Staten Island. I...

This 6300 square foot store opened in 2014 , soon after the Port Richmond CTown burned down. This CTown is owned by Omar Hamdan, the brother of the owner of the very successful and attractive Met Fresh and Metropolitan CityMarket (now Associated) in Bay Ridge. The entrance and exit are on the far left side of the store, with deli and produce lining the left side. Meats run along the back wall of the store, which then becomes the first grocery aisle (the aisles run parallel to the storefront). Frozen lines the right side wall, with dairy on the front wall to the right of the checkouts. An overview of the produce department. Deli is on the side wall near the entrance. This is a beautiful store, even though it's so small. The layout is actually quite similar to the Top Tomato we saw on Sunday. An overview from the back corner of the store. The high ceiling also helps the store, especially since it's actually an A-frame room from front to back. So unlike the AC...

Market Fresh Supermarket Opened: 2018 Owner: Kenny Othman Previous Tenants: Walgreens Cooperative: Key Food Stores Location:  570 Tompkins Ave, Staten Island, NY Photographed:  March 2, 2020 This former Walgreens was converted to the independent Market Fresh Supermarket, owned by the same family that owns the Key Food on Flatbush Ave . Market Fresh also had a location in Wood-Ridge, NJ, which has since gone out of business (but will be coming to the blog here soon). There's another Market Fresh out there somewhere, but I've yet to figure out where that location is. As I mentioned, this store was a Walgreens. And the restroom in the basement still has a Walgreens garbage can! The 8,000 square foot store begins with produce lining both sides of the first aisle. Deli is at the back, with meats on the back wall. Dairy, oddly, is in the middle of the store in aisle 3, with frozen foods in the last aisle. The store, although it's not large, is very nice. It features a very m...

Original Tenant:  A&P Address:  375 Tompkins Ave, Rosebank, Staten Island, NY Opened:  1960s Closed:  1990s Later Tenants:  Waldbaums (1990s-2015), Food Universe Marketplace (2016-2018), Freshway Supermarket (2018-2019) Photographed:  March 2020 This location was a longtime A&P that was converted to Waldbaum's by the 1990s before closing early in the 2015-16 bankrupcty. New Jersey-based operator Kevin Kim (oh boy, do we know him -- from Fairview , Plainsboro , and Belleville ). This store as a Food Universe actually seemed to do okay. It even got some nice renovations . But of course, after just about two years, it was converted to the Freshway banner and switched from Key Food to General Trading/Retail Grocers Group. The "win a car" sweepstakes from Plainsboro's grand opening never finished because the store closed before the contest ended, so that was transferred to this location. In fact, in this picture you can see the ban...

Our next stop after leaving Brooklyn is Staten Island! Now we have been to Staten Island before, seeing a Key Food Marketplace , a Superfresh that has since closed, and a Met Foodmarket . But, we all know... Ahem. Anyway, we're going to tour EIGHT new supermarkets, see a NEW Superfresh, and RETURN to that Met Foodmarket for a full interior tour! Uh... maybe no one else is as excited about that as I am. But anyway, stay tuned for two weeks of Staten Island.

Well well well, if it isn't time for everyone's favorite feature of any store group, the Streetside Sights & Scenes. Okay, I really do it only because I like it. If you're not interested, come back Sunday for our first Staten Island store tour. For reference, I'm putting these in the order that I took them (because my day's circuit was a little different from the order I posted it in). Here's a shot from my crossing of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn. A beautiful spring day to visit grocery stores (and walk many miles)! As always, I was not driving at the time of the picture. I was able to get some free street parking for the whole day, without needing to move the car, in a beautiful residential strip in Prospect Park South right near the Cortelyou Market . This cat was having a relaxing morning on a porch near where I parked, but was not in the slightest interested in saying good morning to me. Clearly, I love Brooklyn c...