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LibraryLady(ncjanow)
Supporter
Username: Librarylady
Post Number: 2322
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 8:59 am: | 
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Grocer signs a lease for old store
Operator to open in closed ShopRite
Sunday, March 20, 2005
BY KATIE WANG
Star-Ledger Staff
A grocery store operator with stores in Manhattan and Long Island has signed a lease to open a food market in the old ShopRite building on South Orange Avenue.
The store, tentatively named South Orange Market, will be a gourmet grocery store offering prepared foods and other upscale food products, such as specialty coffees and cheeses. John Choi, the operator of the store, said he hopes to open by Thanksgiving or Christmas.
"Our mission when we first started to look for a supermarket is exactly what the community is looking for," said Choi.
Some village residents have used the grocery store as a symbol of South Orange's sluggish pace of redevelopment. That store closed years ago after it slowly dilapidated, and village officials urged the owners to renovate the store. Many complained that when ShopRite did close they had no other shopping options in town.
White signs that hung in the store's windows for years promised, "Gourmet Store. Coming Soon." But after years passed without a store, the signs became a running joke and were later parodied in another part of town on a white bedsheet that said, "Neiman Marcus. Coming Soon."
After the village condemned the property, it discovered major environmental problems. Earlier this year, the 13,500-square-foot store was gutted and cleaned out.
In addition to the grocery store, 96 condominiums are planned for the site. The project is part of the village's revitalization project, which also includes the South Orange Performing Arts Center and another cluster of condominiums in town.
Choi's family has operated fruit and vegetable stores such as Big Banana and Cross Island Fruit Market, both in Long Island. In Manhattan, they operated Madison Square Gourmet and Coco's Deli.
This is their first venture into New Jersey and into a large-scale grocery store. Choi said his family also toyed with the idea of opening a store in Wayne but chose South Orange after doing an Internet search.
"I got page after page of outcries from the community in that area," said Choi. "The community seems very interested in what was going on in there."
Choi said he hired a grocery store designer to lay out the plans for the store.
"The prototype is an absolutely beautiful store and will provide a lot of prepared foods and the types of services that South Orange is looking for," said John Gross, village administrator.
Gross said construction to that entire site can begin in a few weeks after a developer's agreement is finalized and a tax abatement is completed.
"We're talking about a period of weeks, not months," said Gross.
Katie Wang covers South Orange. She can be reached at kwang@starledger.com or (973) 392-1504.
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Dave
Moderator
Username: Dave
Post Number: 5657
Registered: 4-1997
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 9:10 am: |
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quote:"I got page after page of outcries from the community in that area," said Choi. "The community seems very interested in what was going on in there."
He's printing out MOL? Dude, stop killing trees.  |
emmie
Supporter
Username: Emmie
Post Number: 447
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 10:15 am: |
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Anyone know when they are going to build the new condos? |
spw784
Supporter
Username: Spw784
Post Number: 673
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 11:45 am: |
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They are coming soon, emmie! |
Mergele
Citizen
Username: Mergele
Post Number: 274
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 12:07 pm: |
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The timing of this, relative to the upcoming elections is suspicioulsly reminiscent of past years. And we all know how those "bursts of progress" have played out... |
Taylor M
Citizen
Username: Anotherusername
Post Number: 393
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 3:15 pm: |
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I read this article this morning and had to laugh at a few things. In regards to when it will open:
>>>John Choi, the operator of the store, said he hopes to open by Thanksgiving or Christmas.<<<
Notice her didn't mentione what YEAR!!!
>>>"I got page after page of outcries from the community in that area," said Choi.<<<
Yeah, okay. From who? conisdering it was a big secret who the owners were going to be!!!
And last
>>>"The community seems very interested in what was going on in there."<<<
No DUH!!! |
ril
Citizen
Username: Ril
Post Number: 305
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 8:53 am: |
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"first venture... into a large-scale grocery store."
Madison Square Gourmet (if I'm thinking of the same place) was just a rather ordinary deli/sandwich kinda place; and Big Banana on Long Island is, according to a friend over there, a grocery/fruit stand.
Hope he knows what he's doing. |
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