TOUR: CTown Supermarkets - Stratford, CT

CTown Supermarkets

Owner: Yousef Fattah

Opened: 1994

Previous Tenants: unknown

Cooperative: Krasdale

Location: 360 Boston Ave, Stratford, CT

Photographed: May 2019

Our next stop is Stratford, CT, a suburb immediately to the east of Bridgeport! We're stopping at one of Stratford's supermarkets, an 18,000 square foot CTown buried at the far back of a strip mall right on the Bridgeport border -- a location that renders it practically invisible from the street. Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about the history of this building, although we do see what appears to be some very old decor that's been repainted on the walls inside. UPDATE: Groceteria has informed us that this was a Pantry Pride in 1972, meaning it may have been built as a Food Fair.

Despite that, the store is looking great. The floor looks to be newly finished, and the decor on the walls looks freshly painted. The decor is very interesting, and unlike anything I've seen in another store. A slanted panel with the department name is placed hanging from the ceiling in front of a series of lit hanging panels on the walls. It's been impeccably maintained, with no burnt-out lights in the complex decor, and each panel is painted nicely.

I'd assume an aisle has been removed here to expand produce. The freestanding produce fixtures look rather new, so I'd bet CTown removed the aisle.

We can see some very old fixtures in the meat department though, although they have been kept up very nicely. This store had an odd feeling to me -- more like a small location of a mainstream chain than a typical CTown. While nearly every other CTown in Connecticut angles heavily towards a Hispanic clientele, this one didn't much -- if anything, there was a large Caribbean section. It's also likely a factor that the owner is not Hispanic. A Google search of the last name Fattah reveals that it is Islamic in origin. Meanwhile, many of the CTowns in Connecticut are owned by Frank Diaz and Edwin Sanchez, who are both Hispanic. The store also feels distinctly like it used to be a chain store, especially in the meat department...

A photo on Yelp shows how the store looked as of 2011. The flooring appears to be newly installed since then, probably at the same time as the produce cases being installed and the decor being painted, though it's hard to pinpoint a date for that remodel. We'll see more evidence of a renovation over at the deli/bakery in the front corner. But let's address this sign. Anyone know who was "the MEAT PEOPLE" given this sign that says "We are the MEAT PEOPLE"? Is it an early chain store, like Stop & Shop? Or is it a former independent that sold to CTown in 1994? Any insight? (Side note, here's a picture of the exterior pre-renovation.)

The grocery aisles don't offer any clues either, with updated aisle markers and lighting, shelving, and flooring. In fact, the store is looking great!

International aisle with part of one side featuring Latin foods and the rest Caribbean. You can also see the beginning of the "We are the MEAT PEOPLE" sign here.

Frozen in the second-to-last aisle. We can compare this shot to a Yelp picture from 2011, showing the same freezer cases, aisle markers, and lighting, but revealing the floor has been replaced and if you zoom in, it looks like a mirrored panel over deli with a script "Delicatessen" sign has been removed. We'll take a closer look at the unique deli/bakery section shortly.

Milk in the back corner, with the M beginning to fall off. You can see that the wall underneath was previously white, and the lettering would've been a different color.

Dairy and a little more frozen in the last aisle. Once again, we see very nicely fixed-up older decor (notice again, there are no lights burnt out in the panels on the left). These letters aren't falling down either.

Very cool ceiling over the deli area. I'm assuming that's original to the store, since I see no good reason to install that in a renovation. The light fixtures, cases, floor, and tile backsplash were all installed in the latest renovation. Looking at the Yelp photo I linked above, it also looks like that ceiling would've been covered up by the mirrored panel. I love the lights hanging above the service counter!

Some really old registers, but other parts of the front end have been updated. I wonder if customer service, which is now in front of the glass foyer, was ever where the deli is. Offices are above the deli...

I'd bet there's some interesting history at this store, and I'd love to know more from anyone who might have any input! That aside, it's looking great as a CTown today, and serves a large part of Stratford and Bridgeport. Speaking of that, we're heading to the north end of Bridgeport to return to a store we've seen previously tomorrow!