Top Tomato Superstore
Opening: June 20, 2024.JPG)
It's the final news post for the day! (As usual, if you're reading this in chronological order, this will be the first post, so welcome and enjoy what's to come.) I'm not positive when, but the small Garden Farm Market in Old Bridge closed at some point in the last three years. The space of around 7500 square feet is set to become a Top Tomato Superstore, which will open on June 20th according to a billboard near this store. (Like SuperFresh, that hasn't been announced elsewhere, so you heard it first here!)
The store still feels roughly like Garden Farm did, though you can see they've rearranged some things and installed new fixtures. Sadly, the Grand Union sign is gone, but that's good because it means Top Tomato will be opening with a blank slate they can make their own. Speaking of -- it'll be very impressive if they can get this store fully ready to open in just 18 days. This is, of course, a small space, but I would expect it to be slightly farther along. It's possible, though, that the store will open with blank white walls and no decor, or very simple signage that can be installed within just a few days -- but from what I've observed elsewhere, decor will typically go in well in advance of opening.
Opening: June 20, 2024
Owner: unknown
Previous Tenants: A&P > Garden Farm Market
Cooperative: Associated Supermarket Group
Location: 3105 US-9, Old Bridge, NJ
Photographed: June 1, 2024
.JPG)
Some operational notes on this store: it appears that the wooden tables in the front will be for produce, with refrigerated produce and meats on the right side. Deli is on the back wall, with dairy and frozen on the left side wall. Three registers in the front. It looks like there's another service counter (butcher or seafood perhaps?) in the back right corner. Top Tomato's Bay Street and Amboy Road locations on Staten Island are affiliated with Associated Supermarket Group, and a third called "The Original Top Tomato" (previously an Associated and before that, Top Tomato version 1.0) appears to be under independent ownership. Just for fun, the Bay Street location is now showing up on Key Food's website as a Food Dynasty. No idea what to make of that. Top Tomato has been in New Jersey before, also, with locations in Brick, Freehold, Holmdel, and Middletown. All closed shortly after opening (except Brick, which was open for closer to 5-10 years, thanks Mike for the correction), but I'm not clear on whether those were under the same ownership that this will be, or how that all relates to the two distinct groups on Staten Island. And lest we forget, a supermarket in Yonkers, NY also operates under the Top Tomato name, but once again, I'm not totally clear on how they're all related (or if, these days, they are related at all). It's a bit confusing, but only for me -- shoppers at any one of those stores, I'm sure, don't think twice about it. I'll be back to check out this latest Top Tomato iteration once it opens! Here's the other posts for today.
Brick was open for a number of years before closing. It was at least 5 and possibly up to 10, if memory serves.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the correction -- fixed!
DeleteThis store was a Norkus Foodtown along with Farmingdale and Freehold. There was a split and I believe that Freehold and cash went to 1 brother (Francis Norkus) and Old Bridge and Farmingdale to the other brother. Francis Norkus then purchased Pt Pleasant and Neptune from another Foodtown operator and opened the store in Manalapan. Old Bridge and Farmingdale closed after the 1993 Local 1262 Supermarket strike. This store then opened as a Shop N Bag and closed in the late 90's. At that time it still looked like a centennial A&P.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the history on this store!
DeleteA supermarket name implying a focus on tomatoes?
ReplyDeleteYep -- Top Tomato seems to have started as more of a produce market than a full supermarket, and given their focus on Italian foods, it makes sense, I suppose.
Delete