Photo by Chris Sykes James Lee of the SuperFresh supermarket on Lyons Avenue, center, stands with Samuel Pepper of Metropolitan Mortgage & Realty Inc., second from left, and Michael Schofel and Peter Schofel of Eastman Construction and Eastman Management Corp., and other principals involved in the deal to open a new supermarket in the old Pathmark Plaza on Lyons Avenue on Friday, Sept. 29, during the grand opening of the new store.
James Lee of the SuperFresh supermarket on Lyons Avenue, center, stands with Samuel Pepper of Metropolitan Mortgage & Realty Inc., second from left, and Michael Schofel and Peter Schofel of Eastman Construction and Eastman Management Corp., and other principals involved in the deal to open a new supermarket in the old Pathmark Plaza on Lyons Avenue on Friday, Sept. 29, during the grand opening of the new store.
IRVINGTON, NJ — The new SuperFresh supermarket, which took over the old Pathmark store site on Lyons Avenue, hosted a grand opening ceremony Friday, Sept. 30.
“We’ve owned this property for nearly 20 years and, when Pathmark closed, we really wanted another supermarket that would provide good service and good product to the community, and SuperFresh came in and they’ve done a magnificent job opening up a first class market,” Samuel Pepper, of Metropolitan Mortgage & Realty, said Friday, Sept. 30. “They will make money and we will make money, because the supermarket will do well. But I think the community will be more than happy with what they see in this market, in terms of how it’s been refurbished. It’s clean and it’s got products for everybody.”
“This market will compete against any suburban market; it’s well-stocked and has excellent prices,” Pepper said. “Our shopping center is in Irvington and Newark and there’s a population here that works, earns money and they need to be served. And they’re willing to spend their money and we’re happy to take it, but the key to that is having good businesses in both towns. That’s what we’ve been looking for in this shopping center and we really hope to populate the rest of the stores that need to be leased and be able to serve the community with products that they want to buy, that they need, and hopefully they will do all of their shopping here.”
SuperFresh owner James Lee said he’s banking on it. He said his family chose to open a store in Irvington because they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to serve the township’s demographics and customer base.
“That’s why we came here,” said Lee on Friday, Sept. 30. “We’re just very excited to create new jobs for the people that actually live in Irvington and part of Newark. We hired locally and we trained them. There were a lot of people with no experience. We paid them to train. We were patient and we’re excited to watch them grow and we’re looking to watch them grow and, hopefully, take a larger role in the supermarket.”
Mayor Tony Vauss joined business administrator Musa Malik and other township officials at the grand opening on Friday, Sept. 30, and all agreed they’re looking forward to having a new supermarket on Lyons Avenue to serve the needs of residents.
“It’s a great supermarket,” said Vauss on Friday, Sept. 30. “They are stocked to the hilt. We have to get the word out. Most people know that Pathmark left, but they need to know that SuperFresh is here and they have some good prices and bargains.”
Malik has roots in the island nation of Barbados and a taste for the foods he grew up eating, so he said he understands the importance of having a supermarket that caters to Irvington’s large immigrant community from the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin America, South America and Africa.
“One of the things the mayor has always told our business community, especially the Irvington Chamber of Commerce, is that we’re open for business,” said Malik on Friday, Sept. 30. “We’ve led the entire state of New Jersey in the reduction of crime since July 2014 … so when you have a safe environment, a clean environment and an environment that’s business friendly, with the reduction of property taxes, you can attract people here that want to do redevelopment and can help us bring the township back.
According to Malik, SuperFresh, “came in about six or seven months ago and said: ‘Listen, we understand that you guys lost Pathmark we represent Key Foods and SuperFresh and we’re interested in coming into the township of Irvington. Help us make this a reality.’
“Myself (and) Jenea Phillips, who’s our director of economic development, assisted, as well and all of the departments, from Health to Building Construction, in issuing the permits and doing the inspections. We moved quickly to help them get this project up. When Pathmark left, there was nothing on this side of the township for our residents … and it’s important for everyone to have access to good, wholesome food. And bringing the SuperFresh here was one of the things that the mayor wanted us to do urgently.”
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