The Independent Edition

Extra Supermarket Owner:  Mitchel Lopez Opened:  2018 Cooperative:  Retail Grocers Group Location:  865 E Grand St, Union Square, Elizabeth, NJ Photographed:  March 2020 We have returned to Pointe Grande Plaza just to the north of Union Square in Elizabeth. This store was built in 2015-2017 as Supermarkets Plus IGA , a somewhat shady but nicely built-out new build store owned by Nick Nasser, who has had several other crash-and-burn stores -- some quite literally . Not this one though, which was sold to Jersey City-based Extra Supermarket owned by Mitchel Lopez, who also owns Extra stores in Jersey City and Newark , along with City Supermarkets in Newark ,  Irvington , and Fairview . These municipalities are all actually very close together, but we've seen them at different times because JC is in Hudson County, Fairview is in Bergen County, Newark/Irvington are in Essex County, and Elizabeth is in Union County. We last saw this store just ...

Quick Food & Deli Meat Market Owner: unknown Opened:  unknown Cooperative:  none Location:  283 Westfield Ave, Elmora, Elizabeth, NJ Photographed:  January 2021 Today's snapshot is a quick look at a bodega staple in the eastern part of Elmora. It's been a grocery store for as long as anyone can remember, and it's been Quick Food & Deli for at least a good 15 years. The store looks to be about 1700 square feet and despite having gone by on foot, in a car, and in a bus for my whole life, I've never been inside. This is just one of the probably dozens of bodegas and small grocery stores that populate the street corners of Elizabeth, like many cities, and I'd love to get the chance to tour many more of them but for now this is the only one I have. Up next, we're heading downtown for two stores on Grocery Archaeology over the next two days!