Country Markets
Owner: Joseph Friedman
Opened: 1989
Cooperative: Key Food Stores
Location: 344 White Plains Rd, Eastchester, NY
Photographed: March 2020
This 16,000 square foot store looked vaguely like a former A&P before its renovation, but I don't know the building's origin for sure. Opening under current ownership in 1989, the store was a CTown for many years. When the store dropped the CTown branding somewhere around 2009, it solidified the store's increasingly upscale positioning. Though it remained Krasdale-affiliated for a short time thereafter, it later became independent and got a distribution contract with Elizabeth, NJ-based Wakefern Food Corp., which runs ShopRite stores. In 2019, the store ended its Wakefern contract and became a Key Food member.
The switch to Key Food also brought an interior renovation to the same decor package as the Dan's Supreme stores we've seen recently (I have another Dan's Supreme coming up shortly, but it has a different decor package). It's designed by Off the Wall. And this is where I'll say that the store looks amazing. It's a fun place to visit and a nice place to shop. The store, being wide and shallow, is oriented with the front-end running along the left side wall. Produce and frozen line the front wall, with deli in the front corner. Meat and seafood line the right side wall, with additional meat and dairy on the back wall. While Country Markets does bake in-store, there's no service bakery counter (but there are some fantastic-looking baked goods).
Frozen foods continuing in the first aisle...
I'd imagine that given the 3-D nature and lighting of this decor, it's not the cheapest to install but man does it look good in these smaller and older stores.
Very nice deli in the front right corner of the store. The cases look to have been updated at the time of the remodel, but I'd bet the wood paneling is much older.
The "chop house" and "daily catch" departments with more excellent decor on the right side wall.
Meanwhile, the grocery aisles do not look to have been updated in a while. The aisle markers also look older than the rest of the decor.
Only five aisles in total, although they are very long because the store is extremely wide and shallow.
Dairy lines the back wall of the store. I love the color combinations in the decor.
Natural snacks and the like in the back left corner of the store. There is an entrance and exit on the back wall here that lead to the rear parking lot.
Specialty bakery items along the front end between the aisles and the registers, looking here from the back wall towards the front wall.
Looking across the front-end towards the front wall, with customer service on the side wall. Shoppers exiting the store towards the back walk behind the display of pasta visible to the right. That's it for now, head over to The Market Report to see the other supermarket in Eastchester tomorrow!
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