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Update: Cherry Valley Marketplace - Bronx, NY

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By Zachary
Cherry Valley Marketplace
Opened: 2016
Owner: Anthony Espinal
Previous Tenants: Compare Foods Supermarket (converted 2016)
Cooperative: Retail Grocers Group
Location: 4800 Park Ave, Fordham Heights, Bronx, NY
Photographed: December 6, 2024
We're back in the Bronx at two Cherry Valley stores that we last saw in May as the Park Avenue store was undergoing a massive renovation and the Webster Avenue store was being prepared for a move next door to a newly-built building. Both are done now, and both look spectacular. Let's check them out!
It was pretty clear from the last visit that the work at this location, which is essentially across the street from Fordham University, was going to be very extensive. And it sure was. This entrance, which faces a plaza between Fordham Road and 189th Street, now appears to be essentially a secondary entrance, with the entrance facing Park Avenue in the back now a main entrance instead.
Where we used to walk into the produce department in this front-left corner, now customer service is in that corner with the meat department lining the left-side wall. What we're looking at straight ahead is the island I assumed would be deli and bakery (it is), and at the front here is a cafe register. A note on these two Cherry Valley stores: both were very crowded when I visited, and I was there on Friday morning when they were stocking everything for the weekend -- meaning there were a lot of people and a lot of boxes of stock around. I did my best to get photos of each store.
The new meat department lines the left-side wall of the store, with the deli/bakery island on the other side of the shelves to the right. What used to be the deli and prepared foods area is now a significantly-expanded produce and floral department, and dairy and frozen remain on the right side of the store. There's now a cafe seating area on the front wall of the store beyond the registers.
Service meat and seafood in the back-left corner of the store. I know I've said it before, but I love this decor package.
Opposite the meat/seafood counters, and behind the deli/bakery island, are two large prepared foods bars, one hot food and one salad. In the deli-bakery island, there are also counters for coffee, gelato, sushi, and sandwiches. It's obvious this store does a big business on prepared foods, likely in part because of the college. When I visited, several cops, bus drivers, and other city employees were lined up at the counter to get breakfast. (That's another thing: this store and the other Cherry Valley take the prepared foods seriously, with daily rotating menus for hot breakfast and lunch selections. Both were fully stocked with hot breakfast when I visited in the morning.)
The juice bar and sushi are at the back of the deli-bakery island. Those service counters take up the rest of the expansive display...
Most NYC supermarkets don't have in-store bakeries -- or even bakery counters -- but the Cherry Valley stores do, along with their sister chain City Fresh Market. Both of these locations appear to bake in-store, and the bakery displays are beautiful.
A look at the hot food bar at the back of the area.
The grocery aisles are in the same place, but have all-new flooring, ceiling, lighting, and shelving.
And at the back of the store, Cherry Valley has expanded this area quite a bit from the original deli/prepared foods setup to accommodate a new, larger produce department. There's also an entrance facing Park Avenue here, and several registers. (Prior to the renovation, there was no bakery here.)
Although there's a lot packed into this store, it's still only about 17,000 square feet.
A new floral department is strategically placed in front of a large window for everyone passing on busy Park Avenue to see. And yes, in case you're wondering, this is in fact the same Park Avenue that's famous in Manhattan -- though we're a good seven miles north of the most famous area (and, to cross from Manhattan into the Bronx, you technically have to briefly go onto Third Avenue for a bridge).
The design of the store is upscale but not over-the-top. It's exceptionally well-done, in my opinion.
Two registers, single-serve drinks and beer, and a Santa Claus at the rear registers here.
Here's an overview of the new produce department in the back. You can see the rear entrance/exit to the right and the seafood department to the left below.
Moving back into the main supermarket, there's a case with cold cuts covering the rest of the back wall, then the rest of dairy lines the last aisle. Frozen is in the second-to-last aisle. 
The ceiling arches that were in progress on my last visit are now done, as you can see here. Obviously, it's just a rounded drop ceiling, but I think it provides a nice effect and some visual interest.
All indications -- including the massive amount of stock ready to go out and the many people stocking across the store -- suggest this is a very high-volume store, even despite a new ALDI that opened this August a block south. I think that store does well, too, but when I visited right before going to this Cherry Valley, it felt downright sleepy comparatively.
Here's a look across the front-end facing the plaza, with the new seating area in front of the arches visible behind the registers.
And a look at the Park Avenue entrance and exit. The exterior wasn't changed at all -- it's not a particularly attractive exterior -- but you can see the large window to the right with the floral department right inside. Unfortunately, the flowers are hard to see because of the glare in this picture, but it's very visible when you're on the street.
Now let's check out their other new store, which is only about half a mile north.



Cherry Valley Marketplace
Opened: approx. November 2024
Owner: Anthony Espinal
Previous Tenants: none
Cooperative: Retail Grocers Group
Location: 2852 Webster Ave, Fordham Heights, Bronx, NY
Photographed: December 6, 2024
The new-build Webster Avenue Cherry Valley has opened as of about a month or two ago, and it's actually a bit smaller than the previous one (scroll down here) but still very nice. As I mention on that post, it seems that the plan eventually is to have Cherry Valley expand into the new building that's going up next door, bringing its size from the current 12,000 square feet up to 20,000 square feet, or approximately the size of their original location.
We enter on the right side of the storefront and then go up a ramp to the new entrance on the left side. The registers, HABA, customer service, and part of the bakery department are to the right when you enter the supermarket, with a small cafe on the left. All traffic is then directed through a corridor with various service counters on the right, beverages and beer on the left, and rows of hot and cold prepared foods in the middle. Behind that is the main supermarket. Produce is on the left side with service seafood and meat at the back, then packaged meat on the rest of the back wall. Frozen and dairy are on the right side, with service deli lining the back wall of the bakery peninsula.
Here's a look at the left side wall of the store, with the self-serve prepared foods bars in the middle and refrigerated items lining the left side.
Packaged baked goods, beer, and produce are behind that. But in addition to the bakery counter, which wraps around the front and side of this peninsula, there are coffee and gelato counters -- several touches that make this store more upscale.
There's also several rows of fresh baked breads and other items, such as the croissants and sweet breads here. As with the Park Avenue store, this one does have an in-store bakery.
Bulk coffee and sushi are more of the upscale features, both of which are in this area too.
You can see here how the bakery-deli department wraps around three sides of this peninsula. The deli is actually to the left above around the corner, and the coffee shop is under the Delicatessen sign to the right.
I love the deli case that they use here and in their other stores. There's a beautiful glass display case on the top, used here to full advantage with lots of prepared foods, and then refrigeration below for self-serve items -- here, block cheeses.
And produce is at the back of the first aisle. As we can see, the store is really beautiful, but it's quite small. The expansion will probably be a big help once the new building is built. The old store has already been demolished, so it's well on its way.
Seafood counter -- complete with a blinking lighthouse -- and service meat behind the produce department.
Above, you can see the transition into packaged meats, which are under the arched brick ceiling. Below you can get a closer look at the fixtures they use for deli and butcher.
The grocery aisles are narrow and tall, for maximum selection.
Back over to the front of this area, we can take another look at the deli counter looking over to the corridor on the left side.
And next to the deli counter is the dairy department, which runs along this wall (HABA and the registers are on the other side of the wall) and continues into the last aisle.
Frozen is in the second-to-last aisle.
I assume it goes without saying that all of the fixtures in this store are brand-new, and not a single thing was brought over from the old store.
And here's a look at the front-end. The small cafe is under the Cherry Valley logo on the far wall, with the bakery counter and HABA to the right in the below picture. Customer service is behind me.
These are two spectacular new stores and I love to see brand-new supermarkets and extensive renovations like this. Speaking of, don't miss the rest of this weekend's posts!
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