Lees Market
Opened: 1949
Massachusetts' craggy coastline means that there are countless small towns and villages tucked away on the water. Here, we're in one of those little towns, Westport, roughly 10 miles from both New Bedford to the northeast and Fall River to the northwest. It's about 30 miles west of Sandwich, the rough beginning of Cape Cod, and about 50 miles northeast of the eastern end of Long Island. It's home to only one supermarket, and that happens to be a wonderful independent supermarket called Lees Market.
Lees is owned by the same people as Clements' Marketplace in Portsmouth, RI, which is about ten miles west. It dates back to the late 1940s, when it was a much smaller general store, eventually growing over the course of many years and many expansions to its current 51,000 square feet.
We enter to the grand aisle on the left side of the store, where the floral department, cafe, prepared foods, and deli departments line the left side. The bakery is on the front wall to the right when you enter. (The cafe is behind the flowers in the first picture, closed for the night at the time I was here.) Dairy is in the back-left corner, with frozen lining the back wall. There's also a liquor store in an expansion out the back wall. Produce is on the right side, with meat and seafood in the front-right corner. It's an unconventional layout, but there's a lot to offer here in this small-town store.
The bakery was closed up for the night, too, but the baked goods I got here were still delicious.
Prepared foods and deli line the left side wall.
One interesting feature of this store -- which I've seen in other stores, but very few -- is vegetables grown hydroponically on-site. There's fresh greens like lettuce and spinach here, and we'll see more in the produce department. And I love the P.S., which they're not kidding about. (If you can't read it, it says "Don't walk 100 steps or you'll end up in the woods.") This store is surrounded by a lot of forest.
The store is higher-end in its positioning, but definitely a full supermarket. It's not a member of any cooperative, but sells Best Yet products from C&S.
Dairy and cheese in the back-left corner. These dairy cases look very new.
And a look across the back wall, with the rest of dairy and frozen here. You can tell the store is kept up well, because even though the decor is on the older side (but in excellent condition), there have been updates like some of the fixtures and the flooring.
The aisle markers all have local historical pictures on them, a nice touch. And this store has a freshly-made popcorn counter, too, something we'll actually see again in another nearby store.
The grocery aisles are well-stocked and spotlessly clean, with a lot to choose from. The selection across the store angles upscale, but there are mainstream and lower-end options, too.
No pharmacy, but a large HABA department for an independent.
Additional frozen foods are in aisle 12 on the right side of the store, with the entrance to the liquor store opposite.
As we can see, the store's various expansions over the years are evident around the store, but it still feels logical enough layout-wise.
Here's some more on-site grown greens -- this area has herbs, along with the growers for the herbs.
The final section of frozen foods faces the produce department, which is in the back-right corner.
This is a beautiful produce department, and it looks recently renovated. The dark ceiling, colorful decor, and good lighting make it exceptionally nice.
And packaged meat is in the front, with service meat and seafood counters on the front wall.
Looking towards the back of the produce department from the front...
And even though we can tell this area is older than the produce department, it's still looking really good because it's been kept up extremely well.
Here's a look at the grocery aisles from the front...
...and the front-end looking back towards bakery and deli, which are through the doorway on the right.
Another fun feature of the store: this display of Lego sets in a case on the front wall. (Notice the contest to find the small figure in the display.)
Owner: Tracy Anthony
Previous Tenants: none
Cooperative: none
Location: 796 Main Rd, Westport, MA
Photographed: October 12, 2024
That's all for Lees! I mentioned the proximity to Cape Cod here, and I've only actually been to Cape Cod once (and haven't photographed any supermarkets there). But a contributor is bringing us a look at one of their supermarkets tomorrow. Come back to check it out!
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