TOUR: GalaFresh Farms - Baldwin, NY

I know very little about Baldwin but it seems that it's been getting higher income recently. With an upscale Ideal Food Basket just around the corner from this store, it makes sense that when Big-N-Cheap (a discount grocery store that replaced a National Wholesale Liquidators) closed, another upscale market moved in, this one affiliated with Key Food Stores. Owned by Aurora Grocery Group, which also owns several Compare Foods Supermarkets and the Gala Foods chain, this store is clearly positioned rather differently from Big-N-Cheap. (Incidentally, I have gained the nickname of Big N' Spicy. Don't ask.)

Produce, deli, and bakery are in the first aisle with meats on the back wall and seafood in the back corner.

Funny that, although there are several signs for a bakery, there is no service bakery counter. It does look like they bake in-store though.

The produce department is decidedly more impressive than Ideal's. And, for sure, the store is more beautiful. Can't speak too much to the prices or quality, though, because I didn't shop at either location.

Nice organic selection, which is much larger than what Ideal has.

This grand aisle, however, only goes about halfway to the back of the store. There is backroom space behind the green wall you can see here.

And the first aisle, which is extra-wide, acts as kind of a transition. The first aisle also is located in an expansion, which does not go as far back as the rest of the store to make room for the loading docks in the back. The supermarket is 24,000 square feet.

The decor and design is top-notch throughout.

Meats along the back wall, with a service counter about halfway across. Not as large as Ideal's service counter, and this store doesn't have a cafe or hot food.

The grocery aisles are pretty standard, with some nice new shelving but nothing remarkable compared to the perimeter.

Frozen foods are in the second-to-last aisle with dairy in the last aisle. All these fixtures are brand-new, which is really nice! Ice cream is located on the front wall, with seafood at the back of the last aisle.

I like the fact that the dairy cases are all closed. Energy efficient, and it makes the store less freezing.

Dairy and frozen continue into the front corner of the store.

Maybe I'm just tired writing this, but I glanced at the sign that says "Butter & Margarine" and thought the slogan under that said "spread on the floor" (it says "spread on the flavor"). Uh... please don't.

I visited the store in December, and the Christmas tree was a nice touch in the front corner of the store. My Gala Foods in Worcester always decorates for Christmas. That reminds me, they were raffling off a car for Christmas, and I didn't win it. Oh well.

The ceiling is exposed over the front end and the first aisle, which is actually a very nice touch. Anyway, that about wraps up our GalaFresh Farms in Baldwin (see Passaic here!). Rockville Centre is our next stop in the town of Hempstead, so stay tuned!

GalaFresh Farms

2485 Grand Ave, Baldwin, NY
Photographed December 2018