Universal Food Markets
Owner: Phillip Patel
Opened: 2023
Cooperative: Key Food Stores
Location: 154 State St, Hackensack, NJ
Photographed: July 23, 2023
Okay, a quick look at the Hackensack Universal! Not much to say here, just coming back for a better outside picture since
last time it was pouring rain. Nothing has changed since this store was a CTown, but I haven't yet posted pictures of this store as a CTown. So let's take a look!
CTown Supermarkets
Owner: Phillip Patel
Opened: 1985-2023 (1994 under current ownership)
Cooperative: Krasdale Foods
Location: 154 State St, Hackensack, NJ
Photographed: June 4, 2022
Alright, welcome to the CTown in Hackensack! Now as you can see, the outside has barely changed since the store's conversion to Universal (which, by the way, did not reflect an ownership change; just a switch from Krasdale Foods to Key Food). The outside was
very modestly updated around 2014 but it doesn't look like the inside was changed (maybe painted a little bit, and maybe with some new flooring).
Although it's small, at just 7000 square feet, this is definitely one of the better-run Universal stores. And it's certainly established in the neighborhood, having opened as the Guarantee Super Market in 1946 and in business until at least 1960. The next record I can find is of the store as a Fine Fare in 1978 which was definitely still in business in 1980, then CTown held its grand opening in 1985. The store was sold to Universal in 1994, but it remained CTown-branded.
Produce is in the first aisle, with butcher and meat on the back wall. Dairy and frozen are in the last aisle on the left, and frozen continues into the front corner of the store. There's some evidence that the store has been rearranged without having its decor changed, which we can see below with what are most definitely not cold cuts.
There's no deli here, but there are some packaged cold cuts in the meat department. I suspect the lime green color on the walls and ceiling is not original to the store's decor package, and that it's likely Universal painted that color at some point.
There's definitely been some upgrades here over time, which we haven't seen at other Universal stores. The meat cases, if not brand new, are definitely in good shape. We can tell that this store is well-run by looking at any of the grocery aisles, which are all spotless...
It looks to me like the lighting was either recently replaced or in the process of being replaced at the time of my visit, since we can see evidence of the light fixtures being changed.
For some reason, there are only aisle markers at the fronts of each aisle. At the time of my latest visit, which was in July, the CTown branding remained inside the store on all the signage.
The store definitely feels bright and clean, which is a big point in its favor. Very different from
Orange. It seems that each location is owned by a different member of the same family.
We see a similar upgrade to
Newark in the dairy department, with older open cases being affixed with new doors.
And a look at the front end with a kind of terrible picture, but it gives you an idea of how it looks. Customer service is between the entrance and the exit, with a sign that's obviously newer than the rest of the decor.
And that is all for this Universal! I'll be back to check out if there's any renovation going on soon enough, but that's all for now. Lots more to see, though...
Saturday
Sunday (FYI these links won't work until tomorrow)
Comments
Post a Comment