Opening on June 29th, 2002, this unique store located just off of Interstate 78 offered more than just extended gourmet offerings to the Bernardsville community, but also a unique store layout and design, which can only be seen in this store. The store was designed and built by CREATE Architecture Planning/Design, a firm also known for several other flagship looks of other retail in the Mid-Atlantic region, such as Clemen's, Genuardi's, Toys "R" Us, and eventually the extensive redesign of the now crumbling Phillipsburg Mall, which never did occur. CREATE said the building was meant to model the nationwide "Centennial" models of the 1960s, but with enhancements to reflect on the town's rich history. Ironically, the town of Basking Ridge had seen one of those original models, but not in just around three decades when the original location closed in 1978. However, that's not to say that Basking Ridge's fate was set in stone. The store was very successful in this upscale community through the great recession and A&P's first bankruptcy in 2010. Basking Ridge was open until the very end in 2015, however sadly leaving the shopping center with no buyer in sight. As of spring 2019, the building has been demolished and affordable housing is soon to take its place. |
| Photos courtesy of "New Supermarket Design" by Christian Campos/Wade Zimmerman, and an anonymous A&P Preservation contributor |
Front and side views of the store, which complemented the unique flex space that this store was a part of, which included retail, services, and housing.
This location focused heavily on the "fresh wing" of the store-- produce, deli/prepared foods, bakery, and meats. In this photo, you can also see A&P's largest salad bar in any of their stores of the 90s and 2000s.
In this photo, you can see the great Eight O' Clock Coffee Cafe, which was a new element that A&P was testing at the time. This format would later pop up in almost every 90s store that would be remodeled with the bold "Fresh" format a few years later.
This isn't just a normal A&P deli-- this is A&P's first venture into the kitchen-like format of a combined deli-prepared foods section. Having everything from 2/$5 6" subs, a hot foods bar that would change daily, store-made meats and salads, catering services, and a full product line Dietz & Watson deli.
Here are some more photos of the Deli area from our anonymous contributor.
Is a store really complete without a bakery? This A&P would have specialty pies, cakes, artisan breads (from a similarly-styled case that you can now see at Stop & Shop, Weis, and Giant stores everywhere-- I wonder where they got that idea from...), and 43¢ rolls fresh from the ovens.
A pristinely-stocked meat section led customers into the store's whopping 17 aisles, which is almost imperceptible in this 30,000 square foot store.
Unlike original Centennial models of the 60s, this homage to the same iconic model opened up the peaked roof in the store, which created a bold look for the front-end, which included the checkouts, customer service center, and entrance to the pharmacy department (housed in an adjacent building with separate entrances as well).
Unlike original Centennial models of the 60s, this homage to the same iconic model opened up the peaked roof in the store, which created a bold look for the front-end, which included the checkouts, customer service center, and entrance to the pharmacy department (housed in an adjacent building with separate entrances as well).
Here the entire store layout can be seen, including the mezzanine for management and security on the top, and the expanded pharmacy to the left.
 |
| Photos courtesy of New Jersey Hills Media Group |
On May 30th, 2019, the vacant A&P was demolished to make way for affordable housing units.
This is a rendering of the affordable housing units that have since taken the store's spot.
Comments
Post a Comment