TOUR: Stop & Shop - Pompton Plains, NJ

Stop & Shop

Opened: 2014

Previous Tenants: Grant City > Jamesway > A&P

Location: 500 NJ-23, Pompton Plains, NJ

Photographed: July 2020

This store has a rather unfortunate location at a low elevation right next to the Pompton River. Consequently, the A&P that used to occupy this 64,000 square foot space flooded repeatedly, causing the store to be low on the list of locations to hang on to for the failing chain. Stop & Shop came in and gutted the store in 2014, turning it into one of their nicest locations I've been to.

The produce department takes up the right side of the store, with deli at the back of the first aisle. Meat and seafood line the back wall with dairy and frozen at the far end of the store and bakery/pharmacy in the front left corner. I must say, the colors on the walls really brighten up this space which would feel cavernous and dingy otherwise.

These department signs look fantastic. The simplified version, of course, is fairly hideous.

I feel like we didn't get very many stores of this decor package in northern NJ, as I typically associate this with Giant-PA and the Boston-area Stop & Shops. Too bad, because this decor package is really nice.

Nature's Promise aisle, the first grocery aisle featuring natural foods, is looking simply beautiful. Unfortunately the rest of the store's aisles are much more bland...

I'm not sure why, but the polished concrete flooring just kind of doesn't work with the drop ceiling. Except, of course, in Food Bazaar.

Looking along the back wall with meat and dairy. I love the exposed ceiling in this section, why couldn't they have done that in the whole store?

And looking back towards the first aisle for meat/seafood and deli.

I'm a big fan of this signage! Although I do wish it had a light in or on it, as it's kind of dim here.

It appears that all the fixtures were replaced when Stop & Shop moved in. That would make sense, as the A&P closed following a major flood -- meaning it would probably be hard to salvage any of its fixtures.

The decor kind of peters out for the milk wall here in the back corner.

But we have the nice exposed ceiling along the last aisle, which has dairy on the outside wall. Bakery continues in the front corner...

And, in an extremely odd layout choice, the pharmacy is immediately next to the bakery on the front wall.

And for a look across the beautiful front-end before we head out...

We'll be passing through Wayne and Haledon before jumping out to the eastern part of Bergen County for our next stores. Up next is a local chain's outpost in the northern part of Wayne on The Independent Edition!