Hardly surprising, word is that Porcelli’s Food Mart in Old Greenwich is going out, to be replaced by a chain grocery. Meh – the store’s days have long been numbered and ever since Shop Rite opened, the drop – off of customers has been quite visible – you see more patrons with hand baskets, picking up a few forgotten items than full-cart, full-week shoppers. Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Fairways, even Whole Foods, all offer more variety and with the glaring exception of Whole Foods and Fairway, better prices.
Nothing against the Poricelli’s, owners of Food Mart. They’ve been very decent owners, generous to the community, and they ran a good shop. But the day of the small independent grocer has passed.
The rumored new tenant is something called Kings Food Markets. Sounds like another Whole Foods, which doesn’t exactly stimulate my taste buds or my wallet, but then, I don’t think CVS improved the neighborhood either. Life goes on.
Kings isn’t as organic as Whole Foods. It’s known for attractive, clean stores, great selection of fresh products and high prices.
I always thought that fire in Cos Cob was an Italian Mafia job to turn old grocer into modern grocer courtesy of “accidental fire”. Turn old real estate into new and someday sell the building when competition finally caught up to them. Real Estate was always the better business to that grocer.
Rumor has it that they turned down a lease from Trader Joe’s for the Cos Cob location to prevent competition for the OG store. Now Cos Cob has no food store, just banks. Thanks Porricelli’s….great way to pay back the community that made you rich.
Food Mart is a dump and anything would be better. Can’t believe it ever passed inspection. It smells. We need a market there for a quick pick up. Also they did screw Cos Cob. Gee I”ll go to CVS to buy my Chips, really.
Back in the mid-90′s, Poricelli killed an expanded A&P (and got the Riverside and Old Greenwch Associations to join him!) so that he could continue selling from his food shack. We went without a decent grocery store for a decade because of it but the absence of competition lured Shope Rite in, and there goes Jerry. Just deserts or, in this case, a just dessert.
“We went without a decent grocery store for a decade?” We still don’t have a decent grocery store in town. ShopRite doesn’t work for me because I am on the other end of town. Closing the Cos Cob store was a big mistake in my view (that’s the one that was rather worn and smelly, to my mind . . . or nose). It always seemed to have a reasonable flow of shoppers. I would love to know the sales numbers and their thinking when they decided to close Cos Cob rather than OG.
But I think they do a pretty good job with variety, certainly for their size. Bottom line, though, is it’s the only place that consistently stocks fennel and a few other items, so I do get down to OG periodically. Shucks, looks like I might have to go to Stamford soon.
I do all my caloric shopping in Cos Cob. CVS has bread, condiments, milk and cereal. Arcuri’s has the best salad to go in town, Fjord’s has all the fish you need after you round up a thick wad of food stamps, and Randy at Post Road Wines has all the beverages that matter.
And if your EBT card isn’t exhausted, there are always Sandy’s ten dollar tomatoes behind the old Fjord’s.
There are so many better food store options around now. The two on the Stamford border are new, big and offer everything you’d need. You could hit Target in downtown Stamford or go high end with Whole in Greenwich or Darien and Fairway in Stamford. My favorite is Fairway because they have a good selection of high end and moderately priced stuff.
They should have had the decency to give Trader Joe’s as a replacement.
Yeah, shutting out Trader Joe’s was poor repayment for Cos Cob’s support over the years. At the time I saw it as a last-gasp attempt to keep a toehold in the Greenwich marketplace but it now seems they knew they were on their way out all along, in which case letting the space to a fifth CVS seems downright nasty.
“I don’t think CVS improved the neighborhood either.”
Don’t underestimate the value of a CVS. We had one in a strip mall in Bedford Hills that was always packed. It brought business galore to the other shops there, but now that they moved across the street, the parking lot is empty and many of the stores in that mall are closing their doors. CVS is one of those places that most people need; If I owned a store, I’d have it right next to a CVS.
But EOS, we have a CVS on almost every block: downtown Old Greenwich, Riverside shopping center, cos Cob, greenwich Avenue and n doubt still more locations I haven’t bothered to notice.
The big new one on the Post Road near the dump. I sure wish that were a Trader Joe’s!
And there are two CVS’s within a couple of miles here too. I’m just saying they bring an incredible base of shoppers. People gotta have their meds.
PS: aren’t any of you CT residents close enough to shop at Stew’s in Norwalk? Too far to go?
Norwalk might just as well be Stamford so, no.
Well, take it from someone thats in the Cos Cob CVS 3 days a week….its damn handy and its better than an empty space. I was sad when the Cos Cob CVS opened – wasnt fond of the idea. Now that its here, I wouldnt want it to leave (unless it was for a trader joes- but that will never happen). Its too handy and it allows me to avoid going to Riverside plaza with its overcrowded filthy store and its strip mall parking bumper car fun.
Over on this side of the river, of course, we take advantage of the valet parking and home delivery options. Guess they don’t offer that to foreigners, probably to encourage you to stay over there.
And as far as food, I rotate between Stew’s, Fairway and Darien Whole Foods. Fairway could be alot better though.
Fairways makes a great baguette (the $1.50 version is better than their $1 standard loaf), but I can’t justify going all that way just for them, and the rest of their offerings aren’t noticeably better than what’s available at Shop Rite.
But those baguettes really are special.
Oh, so that lot is full of valet cars and overflow from your McDonalds.
Score one for Cos Cob, we have the better CVS.
Speaking of home delivery options, Stop & Shop has their own delivery service called Peapod. Order the food online, and for a service charge, they deliver all within a reasonable time frame. I know new moms who use this option, or people who are injured/who live alone/can’t get out. But, the best use of this as witnessed by us: One of our RI neighbors is a RHR Greenwich resident. Not with a newborn. But they must be informed as they seemingly aren’t able to shop for themselves. Peapod is there daily, and maybe more than once a day. There are farmers markets galore up the road with to die for produce, there are grocery stores within a 15 minute drive but I guess they can’t be bothered to shop with the Little People. It’s very funny.
typo: “they must be infirmed“. sorry.
EOS: Stews is just mediocre and not worth the trip.
I would have loved a Trader Joe’s (but pity they can’t carry wine in CT the way they do in California!). I welcomed Fairway, because we used to shop at the one in NYC and it offered some real quality bargains. I’ve been disappointed in the Stamford Fairway – prices are high, quality is only meh, selection is more like what you find in ordinary stores around here. (On a side note, they sell Bedotti Bakery bread, but are in a fight with them because they try to freshen things and sell them the next day, rather than discarding anything that doesn’t sell or marking it as day old).
My Mother-in-law used to live in Bergen County, knows food, and thought very highly of Kings a decade or more ago.
Who knows. I think Food Mart has had a good run, but has not kept up.
Stop Shop-Port Chester prices are lower than Fairfield Cty. Plus they offer gasoline redemption. Saved .50 cents a gal recently.
Costco in PC cant be beat for bulk purchase and cost of medication -if one lacks Rx Insurance,
Generic drugs at CVS/Walgreens/Target can cost 10 times what they charge at Costco. Name brand drugs can cost 40-60% less than the above mentioned national chains.
Kings used to be owned by Marks and Spencer in the UK. Not sure if they still are. But very well received in NJ.
And don’t knock Peapod! I get one delivery a week, but shop the online specials to offset cost ($6.95) of delivery. Nice person walks right into kitchen and puts groceries on the counter. Especially helpful when buying large/heavy items. Great produce, deli goods, even meat. And they always check to make sure the eggs aren’t broken!
@Jane. NOT knocking Peapod. I used them a couple of times myself after a shoulder op and if it works for you, great but there are people who can lift heavy items…………..just saying.
cos cob cvs pharmacy is a nightmare. last time there, they put the wrong pills in my bottle, complete with instructions on how to use the wrong prescription….
had i not checked the pills (asking them to confirm by physically looking at them) and validated the prescription paperwork, who the hell knows what would have happened.
will never, ever go back there again. not on my life–literally!