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They do carry regular products--I didn't mean to give the impression it stocked only "gourmet" or international foods, just that the store has a wide selection of those in addition to mainstream brands.

I plan to check out the store this weekend. Do they sell "regular" products (like Ragu sauce, for example) or is it mainly imported and specialty items? If nothing else I'm hoping this store will alleviate some of the crowding at Shop Rite. I was at Shop Rite last night and it seemed much less crowded than a typical Monday night.

I thought the store was fantastic, and judging from the items that I looked at (soppresata, parmigano, tomatoes, olives and meats) I didn't think the prices were any different from the other area stores. I met Victor, the butcher (what a hunk!) and he couldn't have been nicer.

Last night I had to run an errand down near the new Morton Williams in Newport. So I used it as an excuse to dash inside and check it out.

WOW! I agree with everything Loopy says. It sure seems to be the nicest grocery store in our immediate area. The place literally has a SEA OF CHEESE -- dozens and dozens of gourmet types -- and all kinds of wonderful-looking prepared foods.

Some JCListers may remember the 100,000+ square foot International Food Mart that used to be located where the Target store now stands.

While Morton Williams is much smaller than that huge market, it fills the void that place left in many respects with its mega mix of international offerings.

In some ways, a couple of the aisles are like having a mini Mitsuwa right here in Jersey City. And I've already scoped out a number of Indian and Korean treats I plan to pick up next time I am in that neck of the woods.

Since I live over in the Van Vorst Park area, I doubt I'll make it there too often, but it is a nice resource to have and I am sure the residents of Newport have got to be stoked about it.

Final thoughts: After a brisk walk from Wayne Street, the ICE COLD temperature of the air in that store felt GREAT. I also dug the elephant fountains just outside their entrance (and so did the neighborhood kids splashing around). Good times!

My girlfriend and I went to the new M&W yesterday for a full-blown stocking-up session and I have to say we think it's probably the nicest grocery store in the area overall. We were familiar with the chain as GF lives on the Upper East Side and we had shopped there a number of times; we have not been overly impressed. However, this new M&W blows those in the City away.

The new place still has some teething problems (the poor checkout clerk had to get a price check on about half a dozen of my items), but it's well stocked and the staff very friendly--the cheese guy especially. Great selection of international products too (we saw Korean, Japanese, Chinese, British, Irish, Polish, German, Austrian, Thai, Indian, Pakistani, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese). I imagine this will narrow as they see what sells but it's great now. They also have a huge selection of D'Artagnan products and section dedicated to a full range Boar's Head brand packaged goods. While we didn't buy any, the prepared foods section looked great with at least four kinds of rotisserie chicken and two dozen prepared salads. The fishmonger was pretty nice, with a good selection of whole fish as well as the usual fillets and steaks. And I too was a little confused by the Shop-Rite brand products--maybe Shop-Rite is doing wholesale to smaller chains?

I think the only weak spots were the produce section and the butcher counter. The produce section had a ridiculous variety, but was lacking some obvious stuff, like mint leaves and the fruit selection was not as good as the A&P. They did not seem to carry much that was local. The butcher counter seemed a bit lacking in variety too, although all they did stock all the basics, much of it organic.

As for pricing, M&W seemed to be on par with A&P, but with a wider selection of international and imported goods, it could turn out to be more expensive, depending on your tastes.

A word about the validated parking: while the clerk will validate your ticket without a hitch, the parking garage attendant (at least the one we encountered) was not up to speed on the process and had to make a five minute phone call to someone before he let us out. Probably growing pains here too.

All in all, we liked M&W very much and think it's a great addition to the area.

Finally, some advice: never, never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach....

That is a shame that Stony Hill Farms won't be here. I really enjoyed their apple pie and other baked goods.

Ms. Brownstein makes some great points in her letter.

Also, wouldn't a crowd attract a crowd? Having the farmer's market AND grocery store in Newport could be very reciprocal and symbiotic, I'd like to think.

And if Morton Williams is paranoid that the farmer's market would cut into its business, couldn't the farmer's market supply fruits and vegetables that the grocery store didn't happen to carry? And couldn't the market feature unique foods (liked baked goods or jams) the store doesn't stock on its shelves? Then their relationship could be quite complimentary.

That seems like much more of a win-win solution to me than the one they came up with. Sheesh.

Just saw this letter to the editor on JerseyCityReporter.com and I thought I'd share:

Closing of Pavonia Newport Farmer's Market

Dear Editor:

I recently I heard that the Pavonia Newport Farmer's Market has been canceled, and I had hoped it was merely an unfounded rumor. Unfortunately, I found out otherwise.

I called the Stony Hill Farms today to confirm the story and in fact, it is true. They were told at the last minute that their market would be canceled. They were told that the closing was a result of the new supermarket (Morton-Williams) opening in the area.

This is a terrible shame. A supermarket and farmer's market can certainly co-exist peacefully. Union Square is a great example of this. Having both makes the area even more desirable. Each serves a very different purpose.

Stony Hill Farms is a family-owned and run business that supplied fresh, local produce to our area. Last year, they set up their market three times weekly which was a great boon to the area and the farmer. Purchasing from them was a great summertime pleasure. Everything was fresh and delicious, from just picked corn to wonderful melons. With more and more interest in eating seasonally and locally, it is a huge mistake to cancel this market, both for our neighborhood and the farmer.

Perhaps the powers that be will rethink this decision. If not, my only hope is that the person in charge of the market will find another home for this wonderful farmer, so that he may continue to supply Jersey City with farm fresh goods.

Lynn Brownstein

Here's a link to the letter that was featured in the newspaper and on its site.

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How much was the Newman's lemonade? You can usually get it on sale at Shop Rite for $1.49 (half gallon).

Went there tonight, and overheard one of the managers that its been a "soft opening" but it looked pretty busy to me. Was very clean and upscale looking to me. Close to UKrops in VA.

Got a bunch of their prepared meals, and I thought it was reasonably priced. The only other thing I got that I could compare was some Newman's Lemonade and it was about .50 cents cheaper than Fresh Direct.

Could some Mom do a comparison of prices and quality for us?

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Well, we're not exactly a wealthy SUBURBAN location, but between 07030 (Hoboken) and 07302 (Downtown Jersey City, Newport, etc.) there sure is a measurable amount of wealth from what I can see.

Regarding being near a major highway, the I-78 Turnpike Extension as it approaches the Holland Tunnel qualifies to me as a pretty big roadway (if they were to put the store just north of 14th street or just south of 12th).

For the large parking area, they could create a parking garage like Home Depot did for its Holland Tunnel location.

Wegmans' location in Fairfax, Virginia features elevators as well as a parking garage. And Wegmans plans on having a parking garage at their Columbia, Maryland location. So doing something like that here could probably work here too.

But as Bill463 said (and as I have heard from my Wegmans-employed father), their plans for expansion are mainly in Maryland and Virginia.

Anyway, I need to occasionally remind myself why I live in a city. This is one of those occasions. It's not about the super-sized, big box, category killer, suburban shiny, mega grocery store chains.

I like going to the hardware store for hardware. And the produce market for fruit. And Ibby's for my falafel. And a florist or corner market for flowers. Heck, I even like the 99 cent stores on Newark Ave. (though having just one or two of them is more than sufficient!).

It's these smaller mom-and-pop businesses that make city living colorful and vibrant and different from the cookie-cutter stores in the newer suburbs. Since I'd like to see these places stay in business for a long time to come, it's important that I continue to patronize these sorts of shops.

But if I had to pick between Trader Joe's and Whole Foods for Downtown Jersey City, I'd go with Whole Foods hands down.



Then again, that long conversation has been going on over on this JCList thread for a few years now.

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Was just there this afternoon and I give it an A+ !

CK

Wegman's looks for wealthy suburban locations close to or on major highways with large parking areas. We are more likely to get a Trader Joe's, a company which seems much more comfortable in an urban environment. The Trader Joe's on 14th Street near Union Square is a good example of what we could possibly expect (if only we were so lucky).

be careful with the parking validation. you must show it to the cashier during the transaction, and it must be over $10 purchase. i made the mistake of showing after the transaction and they couldn't validate it so i had to eat the $5. the manager wasn't very sympathetic to my plight either even though i spent $40 on what didn't seem like a lot of stuff....

Where is this place?

M&W is a nice market with somewhat upscale prices. Real mystery is why so very many of their products bear the SHOPRITE label???
(And at higher prices than our local ShopRite!)

Wegmans is THE BEST! It's a shame that they won't consider having a Hudson County location.

My dad, a retired accountant, has worked in one of their stores down in Virginia for close to four years now. He really enjoys being employed there and they treat him wonderfully.

The quality and selection of their goods still astounds me whenever I visit one of their locations -- it's always a multisensory smorgasbord and an overall awesome experience.

Even way back when I went to college in Pennsylvania, the grocery store of choice among my friends (once they finally opened nearby my junior year) was always Wegmans.

Their Market Cafe ROCKS! Yum yum yum!

Though it makes me sad that they probably won't be moving into this immediate area anytime soon, it's a smart business decision for Wegmans to focus their expansion on Maryland and Virginia (as mentioned earlier by Bill463).

According to Forbes.com, that's where the money is these days!

AMERICA'S 20 RICHEST COUNTIES (BY MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME) - 10 OF THE TOP 20 ARE IN MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA

1. Fairfax (VA) - $100,318

2. Loudoun (VA) - $99,371

3. Howard (MD) - $94,260

4. Hunterdon (NJ) - $93,297

5. Douglas (CO) - $92,125

6. Somerset (NJ) - $91,688

7. Morris (NJ) - $89,587

8. Montgomery (MD) - $87,624

9. Arlington (VA) - $87,350

10. Nassau (NY) - $85,994

11. Stafford (VA) - $85,014

12. Calvert (MD) - $84,891

13. Forsyth (GA) - $83,682

14. Putnam (NY) - $81,907

15. Marin (CA) - $81,761

16. Williamson (TN) - $81,449

17. Santa Clara (CA) - $80,838

18. Prince William (VA) - $80,783

19. Alexandria (VA) - $80,449

20. Charles (MD) - $80,179

Source: Forbes America's Richest Counties full article and complete list (2008)

This is interesting news - I did not know. I'll certainly take a look but I have worked at Wegmans in Woodbridge now for the past 5 years and just always bring stuff home with me after work to Hamilton Park. Wegmans is expanding through Virginia and Maryland for the next few years. They would do well of course here in JC - tis not to be.

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Have you been to A&P in the last year since they renovated the place? I would hardly call it filthy.

The pricing is right on par with the (filthy) a & p.
The parking is free w validation up to 2 hours. Also it is covered (on the first level of the parking garage) with a direct entrance into store so you don't have to get wet on a rainy day going to and from the car.

I was there last night - really. really nice store. Real tile floors instead of linoleum. Definitely worth a visit.

Do you have to pay for parking there?

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Like everything else in Newport.

So is this Morton Williams different from the ones in Manhattan? I have been to a few of them and would hardly call them premium. The ones in Manhattan at least are basically like a Gristedes.

Although I guess you could call them 'premium' in the sense that they have pretty high prices for regular grocery store items.

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It's located in the base of the Shore condos, look for the elephant/water fountains. It's not affiliated with Wegmans.


http://www.mortonwilliams.com/index.html

Please tell me where it is exactly. And is it affiliated with Wegmans? Hope so...........Wegman's is a great store.

Morton Williams opened today in Newport, its nice having a premium supermarket in the hood. Its like a small Wegmans with emphasis on easily prepared foods and premium products. Some of the premium products are Asian, it's nice to see more diversity in my food options. While it won't replace my trips to Shop Rite and Trader Joes & Target for basics it will take some of my business away from Whole Foods and Citarellas.

Probably, since there was suppose to be a grocery store in there, and there is a picture of the shore club with the article. Funny how this picture from the GlobeSt Site... looks a lot like this picture: http://newyorkssixth.com/newyorkssixt ... arch0907/shore0309071.jpg

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So...in the base of the Shore Club? Is that where it's going?

http://www.globest.com/news/977_977/gsrnortheast/163440-1.html


more or less goodnews.. a Morton Williams (sometimes called ASSOCIATED) in NY isn't such a terrible thing, decent prepared food, wide selection, good produce. If IT'S successful, it's a good barometer for competition to come in and compete...