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"We have our typical offerings but also adapt to the needs of
the local community as best we can," says Chase Leonard. "For
example, in Clifton, there's a big kosher community. So we have
some kosher items available in the store. For the most part, we
keep our core selection, then introduce some flexibility."
The grocery department, along with other sections of the store
including produce, offers a mix of national brands, private-label
items, and local offerings from the state.
"Our rule of thumb is we try to go local as frequently as we
can. So, in all our departments across the store, we work with
huge assortment of seeds, nuts, and dried
fruits and vegetables in plastic clam-top
snack containers.
The store also features specialty food
items, including an assortment of honeys
and a few shelves filled with different
types of tahini, including brands such as Al
Arz, Achva, and Har Bracha, all based in
Israel, and Soom, a woman-owned brand
headquartered in Philadelphia. These were
merchandised alongside other sauces from
around the world, including gochujang
from Korea and ponzu and other soy
sauces from Japan.—M.H.
Stew Leonard's Farm Fresh Food & Wine
467 ALLWOOD RD.,
CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY
MONDAY – SATURDAY, 9 A.M.-9 P.M.,
SUNDAY, 11 A.M. TO 9 P.M.
Specialty retailer Stew Leonard's opened its second New Jersey
location, just outside of New York City, in Clifton, last month.
Combination grocery and liquor store, the retailer moved its
existing Wine & Spirits of Clifton shop from its former location
to the center of its new store.
The location offers its customers fresh food, center store
fare, more than 1,200 wines, 1,100 spirits, and 350 beers,
according to the retailer.
"It's one of the smallest stores and the second to combine
beer, wine, and spirits with the grocery section," Meghan Bell,
director of public relations at Stew Leonard's, told Specialty
Food. "It's great because the location can serve as a one-stop
shop for the local community."
The store opens to an ice cream and coffee bar leading to
an expansive bakery section with areas dedicated to New York-
style bagels and doughnuts. The location is structured as a one-
way aisle that runs through its entire footprint. Other features
include a prepared foods section including pizza, BBQ, grab-
and-go, sushi, and various hot and cold mealtime solutions.
Animatronic features around the store introduce an
element of fun and interactivity while teaching kids and adults
about Stew Leonard's history, and some of its principles,
says Chase Leonard, Stew Leonard's senior photo and video
producer and third-generation member of the family-owned
business. One example is Stew's Naked Cowboy, a play on
Time Square's Naked Cowboy, which honors the company's
private-label line of antibiotic- and hormone-free meats, called
Stew's Naked.
The store's Butcher Shop emphasizes grass-fed offerings
along with antibiotic- and hormone-free beef, chicken, ham,
and turkey. The fish counter merchandises more than 30
varieties of fresh-caught seafood as well as locally caught sea
scallops, flounder, swordfish, and tuna.
PHOTO: STEW LEONARD'S
