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Special Report: Extra Supermarket - East Orange, NJ (Central & Grove)

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By Zachary
Extra Supermarket
Opened: April 14, 2025
Owner: Orfilio Chaviano and Nick Gonzalez
Previous Tenants: Rite Aid
Cooperative: Krasdale Foods
Location: 80 Central Ave, East Orange, NJ
Photographed: April 14, 2025
How many former drugstores have become supermarkets in the New York metro area so far? For years, the trend was in the other direction -- former supermarkets would get a new life as a CVS or something. But an incredible number now have gone from closed drugstore to brand-new supermarket. The latest example is here in East Orange, just outside of Newark. In fact, this store is only about three and a half blocks from the Newark border. The store of around 11,000 square feet was built in 1997 as a Rite Aid, then became a Walgreens in 2018 and closed in 2023. The same year, the owners of Extra Supermarket announced they'd be moving into the space. After extensive renovation, the store held a soft opening last Monday. An official grand opening is scheduled for Wednesday.
Given that I photographed the store on soft opening day -- and in the morning, no less, meaning it was just a couple hours after the doors opened -- there was still a bit in progress, including the fact that there isn't a sign on the outside of the building just yet. A sign is out by the street. Extra already has a store in East Orange, at Central and Sanford a little over a mile west. That store is newly renovated. The same owners also own the Food Depot in Newark, just under a mile east and also newly renovated.
Speaking of Food Depot, this new East Orange Extra looks a lot like their new Belleville location, which opened in 2023 in a former Walgreens. As we can see, the store was absolutely pristine for opening day, although some sections were still being stocked. Inside, it has the feeling of a brand-new supermarket rather than a converted drugstore. There's no hint of the former Rite Aid/Walgreens, which looked completely different inside.
The store is oriented with the front-end facing Grove Street, the cross street. Produce and international foods are in the first aisle, running along the front of the store. Seafood and meat are on the back wall, with dairy/frozen in the last aisle on the left side. Like Belleville's Food Depot, the only service department here is a seafood counter -- no deli or butcher counter. 
Extra seems to be an independent chain supplied by Krasdale Foods, but also C&S. So there are both Krasdale and Best Yet products on the shelves.
There are two Extra chains in this area today, that previously were connected but are now independent. One side owns the two East Orange stores, Lyons Ave in Newark, Maplewood, and Dover, along with Food Depot stores in Belleville, Newark, and Kearny. The other Extra chain owns Avon Ave in Newark, Jersey City, and Elizabeth, along with City Supermarkets in Newark, Irvington, Asbury Park, Fairview, and Kenilworth. Generally, the Extra/City stores are larger and more modern than the Extra/Food Depot stores, but both groups have worked quite a bit on updating and opening new stores recently. The Extra/City stores are supplied by General Trading.
A look across the back wall. Even though there's no service butcher counter, the meat is cut in-store.
The grocery aisles are tall to accommodate as much on the shelves as possible, and they're certainly prepared for opening day! Like I mentioned on the Food Depot post, center-store pricing seemed a bit high here to me, but I have noticed Krasdale and General Trading-supplied stores are often a bit more expensive than Key Food and ASG stores (although, of course, that's not always true). The truth is, too, that here there isn't much competition. In many of these North Jersey cities, there aren't that many supermarkets -- but there are some, and they tend to be smaller independent stores that simply aren't able to price items at the level of a larger chain. East Orange also has a ShopRite that's soon to be replaced with a brand-new store, though that's a little farther away at Brick Church Plaza.
There's minimal personal care/HABA items here, and an aisle of nonfoods. Notice the Krasdale brand products on the right. It seemed like there were more Krasdale items in nonfoods, and more Best Yet items in grocery.
The signage is mounted so high up that, with the combination of that and the higher shelving, it was very hard to get pictures of some of the signs. There's a sign for delicatessen in the back-left corner, but there are only pre-packaged cold cuts. The other Extra in East Orange also doesn't have a deli.
Dairy and frozen on opposite sides of the last aisle.
It looks like all or most of the fixtures here are new. I do like the flooring, too, which is the same as what went into East Orange's other Extra when it was renovated.
And a look across the front-end. It's a great-looking store and there's a lot here. Definitely an impressive reuse of a former Walgreens.
And there's a lot more to see this weekend! Here's a look at what I've posted:

P.S. Don't believe me that more and more supermarkets are opening in former drugstores? Here's a look at some of the other stores I've recently covered that opened up shop in former pharmacies.
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