Historical Information About ShopRite Locations (Past & Present)
Posted: 06 Mar 2024 20:51
Though I am not sure how often I will have a chance to update this thread, I would like to have a thread devoted to historical information on ShopRite locations (past and present).
I think a good place to start is with the ShopRite of Netcong (in Morris County, NJ). This supermarket opened on September 15, 1965. Though ShopRite has older stores (even an older store in Morris County, that being the Sterling location), the ShopRite of Netcong is arguably the most vintage ShopRite still in operation, as it has (unlike Sterling) seen relatively few changes since day one. IMO, the awesome lettering on the supermarket's exterior--which is almost certainly original--is enough to make it the most vintage location in the entire chain. The Netcong ShopRite does look more modern on the inside, although I do not believe it has been renovated since the late-80s.
This great post from Zachary (at his The Market Report blog), provides more fascinating information:
https://www.marketreportblog.com/2022/0 ... ng-nj.html
As mentioned by Zachary, the ShopRite of Netcong is owed by the Romano family and its company, RoNetco Supermarkets, Inc. (Presumably, RoNetco is a portmanteau of "Romano" and "Netcong".) Zachary mentioned that Netcong is not the smallest ShopRite, although I disagree with him on that assertion. Zachary informed me that the Google Measure Distance tool shows that the ShopRite of Chatham (another favorite ShopRite of mine) is actually the smallest in the chain. Being familiar with both stores, it definitely seems like Chatham has more shoppable space. (Certainly, Chatham has a far greater selection of prepared foods than does Netcong.) When I mentioned this to Zachary, he brought up a good point about the limitations of the Google Measure Distance tool: specifically, if a store had a basement that is used for storage (which I believe is the case with Chatham but not with Netcong), then a seemingly smaller store (per the measure distance tool) could actually have more shoppable space. (By the way, when I leave comments on Zachary's blog, I do so under the name "A&P Fan".)
I am pretty sure that the Romano family's original store was in Netcong. While it may not have been their original supermarket, their prior Netcong store was located at 125 Main Street. (Though the current store has a Route 46 address, it is actually on the same road.) The 125 Main Street supermarket opened no later than April 10, 1958, per ShopRite newspaper advertisements. Ads from 6/14/1956 to 4/3/1958, inclusive, simply list an address of Route 46 for the Netcong store. Since (as mentioned earlier) portions of Netcong Main Street and Route 46 are on the same road, I do not know if this was a different store than the one with the 125 Main Street address. Furthermore, I could not ascertain if the Romanos operated a supermarket at 125 Main Street prior to June 1956; the ShopRite name debuted in 1951, and it is possible that the Romanos operated a store at 125 Main Street but did not join the Wakefern/ShopRite cooperative until 1956.
Before I conclude, anybody who has read Zachary's blog post will know that current Netcong ShopRite is due for a sizable expansion. Houses adjacent to the store were actually torn down a few years ago, but no progress has been made since then on the project. I have no idea what could be causing the expansion project to be delayed. Since I love vintage supermarkets, I hope that the 1965 store remains unaltered for as long as possible. That said, if you are in the area, you should make an effort to see the Netcong ShopRite as soon as possible, just so you can visit the store before the expansion finally does occur.
I think a good place to start is with the ShopRite of Netcong (in Morris County, NJ). This supermarket opened on September 15, 1965. Though ShopRite has older stores (even an older store in Morris County, that being the Sterling location), the ShopRite of Netcong is arguably the most vintage ShopRite still in operation, as it has (unlike Sterling) seen relatively few changes since day one. IMO, the awesome lettering on the supermarket's exterior--which is almost certainly original--is enough to make it the most vintage location in the entire chain. The Netcong ShopRite does look more modern on the inside, although I do not believe it has been renovated since the late-80s.
This great post from Zachary (at his The Market Report blog), provides more fascinating information:
https://www.marketreportblog.com/2022/0 ... ng-nj.html
As mentioned by Zachary, the ShopRite of Netcong is owed by the Romano family and its company, RoNetco Supermarkets, Inc. (Presumably, RoNetco is a portmanteau of "Romano" and "Netcong".) Zachary mentioned that Netcong is not the smallest ShopRite, although I disagree with him on that assertion. Zachary informed me that the Google Measure Distance tool shows that the ShopRite of Chatham (another favorite ShopRite of mine) is actually the smallest in the chain. Being familiar with both stores, it definitely seems like Chatham has more shoppable space. (Certainly, Chatham has a far greater selection of prepared foods than does Netcong.) When I mentioned this to Zachary, he brought up a good point about the limitations of the Google Measure Distance tool: specifically, if a store had a basement that is used for storage (which I believe is the case with Chatham but not with Netcong), then a seemingly smaller store (per the measure distance tool) could actually have more shoppable space. (By the way, when I leave comments on Zachary's blog, I do so under the name "A&P Fan".)
I am pretty sure that the Romano family's original store was in Netcong. While it may not have been their original supermarket, their prior Netcong store was located at 125 Main Street. (Though the current store has a Route 46 address, it is actually on the same road.) The 125 Main Street supermarket opened no later than April 10, 1958, per ShopRite newspaper advertisements. Ads from 6/14/1956 to 4/3/1958, inclusive, simply list an address of Route 46 for the Netcong store. Since (as mentioned earlier) portions of Netcong Main Street and Route 46 are on the same road, I do not know if this was a different store than the one with the 125 Main Street address. Furthermore, I could not ascertain if the Romanos operated a supermarket at 125 Main Street prior to June 1956; the ShopRite name debuted in 1951, and it is possible that the Romanos operated a store at 125 Main Street but did not join the Wakefern/ShopRite cooperative until 1956.
Before I conclude, anybody who has read Zachary's blog post will know that current Netcong ShopRite is due for a sizable expansion. Houses adjacent to the store were actually torn down a few years ago, but no progress has been made since then on the project. I have no idea what could be causing the expansion project to be delayed. Since I love vintage supermarkets, I hope that the 1965 store remains unaltered for as long as possible. That said, if you are in the area, you should make an effort to see the Netcong ShopRite as soon as possible, just so you can visit the store before the expansion finally does occur.