TOUR: Key Food Marketplace - Pleasantville, NY

Key Food Marketplace

Owner: Brian Grobman / Dan's Supreme Supermarkets

Opened: 2001

Previous Tenants: Grand Union

Cooperative: Key Food Stores

Location: 35 Pleasantville Rd, Pleasantville, NY

Photographed: May 2019 and March 2020

Today is kind of like two store tours in one! I visited the Key Food Marketplace in Pleasantville, NY in May 2019 in the middle of a really long and drawn-out renovation, and again when the remodel had finished in March 2020. This is one of only a few Key Foods remaining from when several operators took over Grand Union stores during their 2001 bankruptcy. My photos come from these two visits, and are labeled as 2019 and 2020. The above photo comes from the post-renovation visit.

2019

The Grand Union facade has been added onto but the bones remain intact. The entrance area has been expanded.

Now for the interior. I was hoping to get here before the Grand Union decor, which was still intact prior to the renovation, was fully removed. I succeeded... kind of. Prior to the renovation, you entered to the left, with produce in the front corner. Dairy lined the first aisle, with meat on the back wall. Frozen foods and beer were at the far right end of the store, with deli, meat, and seafood on the right side. These departments were on the front wall, but there was a large closed off section on the side wall. Post-renovation, although produce remains in the front left corner, deli/bakery are now on the left side wall, with sushi, seafood, and meat on the back wall. Frozen is actually in the first few aisles, with dairy in the last aisle. Basically, the service departments which used to be on the right side of the store are now on the left side of the store.

2019

2020

From what it looks like, this renovation was a huge success. The 20,000 square foot store feels way bigger than it was, and it's obviously more spacious and bright. We see all-new fixtures, decor, flooring, and lighting here in produce, and what an improvement. Although I do love the Grand Union decor. The wall to the left above is the front wall of the store.

2019

The salad bar seemed to be long closed at the time of my 2019 visit, but still had dressing in it. So it was probably closed for this remodel. The store does currently have a salad bar, but I didn't get a picture of it.

Moving into the first aisle, we see where there used to be grocery shelving opposite what used to be dairy cases.

Almost looks like there was once a service department here, though I can't imagine what it could've been. Anyway, this whole area has been opened up for the remainder of the grand aisle:

2020

Beautiful bakery facing the produce department. It's hard to tell whether they bake in-store, but I'd assume they do. It looks like much of the backroom space is in a basement, which would make sense.

A gorgeous and enormous deli lines the rest of the left-side wall of the store. Cheese, sushi, and seafood are in the back corner where milk used to be.

2019

2020

I know this isn't an exact match but it's pretty close. They're the same corner of the store. Quite the difference! Continuing along the back wall, we have meats in the same location but a totally new presentation. (My meat department pictures are a little limited from 2020, sorry about that.)

2019

2020

Packaged meats continue along the back wall out of frame to the right. In the remodel, frozen foods were relocated from the far-right side of the store to the first few aisles, I think aisles 2 and 3. All grocery shelving was also replaced.

2019

Frozen foods in the last and second-to-last aisles in 2019.

Here you can also see the large closed-off portion during the 2019 remodel.

2020

Outstanding job on the grocery aisles. New shelving, flooring, and lighting. Looks like the ceiling was painted if not replaced, too.

Huge, spacious, and bright frozen aisles.

During the renovation, the meat and seafood counters were consolidated into the deli counter. The deli remained open but at a fraction of the size it normally was.

2019

After the renovation, the last aisle was opened up significantly to hold the dairy selection.

2020

And finally, the front end, which had barely been touched since the Grand Union days, is now looking sharper than ever with all new registers. According to a friend who lives in Pleasantville, most people do fairly small shopping orders at this store, meaning the large number of self-service express registers and only maybe three service registers makes sense for how customers use the store.

2019

2020

What a difference! Once again, I must commend the folks at Off the Wall for an outstanding job on the renovation here, along with Dan's Supreme Supermarkets which owns this store. At just half the size, I'd say this Key Food has really doubled down on giving the ShopRite in nearby Thornwood a run for its money. Up next we're going to head west through a few more small towns before turning north along the Hudson River!