
May 5
...serving up your daily dish.
In its earnings report for Wall Street yesterday, Whole Foods announced that it's adding seven new stores. One of them is in West Orange. Brand new Whole Foods stores, by the way, average 40,000 square feet, compared to 28,000 for stores more than eight years old, which is about the age of the Montclair shop.
Maybe this means we'll get three kinds of organic raddichio, and have room to park our SUV's.
Cool!! Maybe I should buy a 4th $100 share-- (which was $75 when I bought it a few months ago.)
Note-- Do not take stock-buying advice from me-- usually you can make money by doing the exact opposite of what I do!!
I bought these so I would feel a teeny bit better about being ripped off on a weekly basis.
Posted by: latebloomer | May 5, 2005 8:51:57 AM
as an aside, no more wine and beer at the montclair whole foods. although it was a tad pricey, it was convenient.
Posted by: robert | May 5, 2005 9:46:56 AM
Just wondering if they will shut down the Montclair store since the one in WO will be so close? We heard rumor about 2 months ago that it's going in where the Pathmark used to be - corner of Prospect and Eagle Rock. And, that the KMart is going to be Sears. Anyone confirm this second rumor?
Posted by: hate to shop | May 5, 2005 10:00:28 AM
word on the street is that the one in town will be closing down.
back to corrados i go
Posted by: shop west orange not | May 5, 2005 10:02:16 AM
Great - an even larger emporium of wildly overpriced food to make even the smuggest yuppie smile.
Posted by: Ugga | May 5, 2005 10:26:45 AM
Does Whole Foods shutting down in Montclair mean an end to bidding wars on houses. Will the boom hit West Orange?
Posted by: Shugga | May 5, 2005 11:07:47 AM
I think it would also mean that the new supermarket going in on Bloomfield Ave in Bloomfield will likely do even better ( if Whole Foods in Montclair were to close, that it ).
Posted by: Todd | May 5, 2005 11:27:21 AM
Whole Foods of Whole Paycheck? The parking lot is a joke. When will it close?
Posted by: Stone | May 5, 2005 12:12:15 PM
why are Montclair house prices rising so fast? is everyone going to Whole Foods.
Posted by: anton | May 5, 2005 12:13:46 PM
Nick, that's a good question. Here's my short answer: 1) because they tore down the Marlboro Inn to build homes instead of a mall, and 2) because we're an urban, not a suburban, school district.
Posted by: walleroo | May 5, 2005 2:00:41 PM
homes instead of a mall. We have so many stores already. We need better schools or once Whole Foods leaves does our home price boom end.
Posted by: nick | May 5, 2005 2:22:12 PM
I heard WF in Montclair bought a house nearby and will be expanding that location. Anybody know?
Posted by: yogi | May 5, 2005 4:25:59 PM
According to the Febuary 9 Montclair Times:
"The Montclair School District was awarded the bronze award category of QNJ’s [my note: Quality New Jersey] Governor’s Award for Performance Excellence in 2001 and 2002."
They just received the Silver QNJ awward this year.
Both of my children, as well as my niece and nephews, have benefited greatly from the innovative magnet school approach that was adopted by Montclair. It is one of the reason' that we are all here.
Posted by: Bitpusher | May 5, 2005 4:34:29 PM
I hope your optimism is well founded, Bitpusher. I have kids in the midst of their public school education in Montclair, and frankly I'm skeptical. I hope it's just be being a grump.
Posted by: walleroo | May 5, 2005 4:36:35 PM
Doesn't it just boil down to who hires the best possible teachers taxes can buy in this town?? Good teachers will turn ANY school district into a real 'prizewinner'...
Posted by: rez | May 5, 2005 5:52:46 PM
Well that just plain sucks. The Montclair Whole Foods is one of the reasons why I took my current job. Who the hell goes to West Orange?
The parking lot doesn't suck, it's the idiot drivers. Sure it's small, but use a little common sense, y'know, it's easy to navigate if you have half a brain.
BTW, I will point out for the umpteenth time, Whole Foods has considerably better prices on Texmati rice, Gerolsteiner mineral water, & Clif bars than any other store I've ever found. Not to mention their bulk cereals wall, which offers the best selection of low-sodium / low-sugar cereals in the state. Tends to balance things out.
Posted by: ghostrider | May 5, 2005 6:25:09 PM
I think that it's great that West Orange is getting its own Whole Foods. Hopefully that will help to cut down on the level of crowdedness at the Montclair Whole Foods. I don't believe that we are about to lose our local store. The loss of the liquor dept. has led to an expansion in the food selection. I predict more growth for the Montclair Whole Foods!
Posted by: Denise O'Shea | May 5, 2005 7:40:13 PM
Governor Codey goes to West Orange. Daily, I bet. To his home and wife and family. Carole King and Jerry Goffin used to live there (Little Eva was their maid!). Don Kirshner used to live there. So did former Governor Byrne. And man does not live by Texmati rice, Gerolsteiner mineral water and Clif bars (whatever they are) alone. Nor by cereal (save perhaps for Jerry Seinfeld). Really, ghostrider....
Posted by: cathar | May 5, 2005 8:14:59 PM
I live in Rutherford. West Orange and Princeton are all pretty much the same to me - too far.
And I really wish that there were someplace between here & Montclar that had good seafood, which is the main attraction for me at Whole Foods, but there isn't. And that's the real reason why the possible closing of Montclair Whole Foods really ticks me off.
Here's hoping that Denise O'Shea is right.
Posted by: ghostrider | May 5, 2005 9:09:02 PM
"Whole Foods has considerably better prices ..."
This is interesting. My wife, who does the bulk of the food shopping, has pointed this out to me. Certain items are more expensive at A&P than at Whole Foods. Go figure. That's incredible, considering that A&P is only slightly better than the worst town in the Urals during the heyday of the Soviet Union.
Posted by: walleroo | May 5, 2005 10:05:07 PM
Hey, ghostrider, try Corrado's, Main Avenue, Clifton for your seafood. And all sorts of other stuff. I very seriously doubt, for example, that you'll ever find more cheeses, from more countries. Or more types of dried pasta. Somewhat closer than Montclair, far nearer than West Orange. And when you're down the shore, go to the Fishermen's Co-Op in Belford off 36. On a good day, absolutely fresh fish in great array - no stylish displays, we're not talking Kings here - but good prices and assured freshness. Otherwise, again, Corrado's.
Posted by: cathar | May 5, 2005 11:16:11 PM
There's also Trader Joe's in Florham Park and Wayne, worth the trek. Especially for the Frozen Seafood and much, much more.
Posted by: Homesick PAZ | May 5, 2005 11:41:20 PM