Today we're touring a supermarket in the ever-gentrifying neighborhood of Highbridge, located at Ogden Avenue and 166th St (
yesterday's Bravo was at Ogden and 170). The 12,000 square foot supermarket was previously an
Associated and I'm assuming an A&P originally, given the peak at the storefront's center. In 2014, owner Jonathan Diaz expanded, renovated, and rebranded to Fine Fare. I believe this is Diaz's only store.
There are two sets of entrances and exits, one here to the parking lot and another at the other end of the store to the sidewalk. The latter is the main entrance, leading into the grand aisle, while this entrance leads to dairy. Let's head into the main entrance to tour this beautifully renovated store.
If I remember correctly, there's a hot food bar and seating area at the front of the store. Produce lines the right side of the first aisle, with deli and bakery in an island to the left. Service seafood is at the back of the first aisle, with meats running along the back wall. Frozen is in the second-to-last aisle with dairy in the last aisle.
The renovation, nearly five years old at the time of my photographs, is looking fantastic. The store has a very effective mix of specialty/organic products with basic groceries and Latin and Caribbean products.
Seafood in the back corner.
Meat runs along the back wall in cases that were definitely new for the renovation. The grand aisle is located in what would've been the expansion, and the original supermarket was probably only about 8,000 square feet.
One thing that you'll notice throughout the store is that it's obvious the owners take a lot of pride in this store. It's beautifully maintained, perfectly organized throughout. Wait until you see the cereal.
Frozen foods in very new cases (that match the meat, dairy, and produce cases) in the second-to-last aisle. Looking fantastic!
Now take a look at the cereal in the below picture (I didn't even notice this until after I left the store and was reviewing the pictures). Check out how the boxes are organized in the shelving to fit
perfectly! The alternating front-side pattern to fill the shelf just exactly right. I've never seen anything like it.
Looking along the back wall from the last aisle towards the first.
Dairy again with a nice mix of organic/natural and Latin products, plus matching cases. I visited in the morning, probably explaining the boxes out waiting to be stocked. Beer is in the front corner that we're looking at, with customer service next to it and checkouts lining the rest of the front wall.
The Bronx has some very nice Fine Fares in addition to this one, so come back soon for more Fine Fare tours!
Fine Fare Supermarkets
1136 Ogden Ave, Highbridge, Bronx, NY
Photographed March 2019
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