{"id":17125,"date":"2025-10-26T10:43:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T10:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/17125\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T10:43:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T10:43:09","slug":"rising-grocery-prices-spark-nostalgia-for-staten-islands-shopping-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/17125\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising grocery prices spark nostalgia for Staten Island\u2019s shopping past"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Household budgets are stretched thin, according to a recent Advance\/SILive.com article.<\/a> Yet Staten Island\u2019s passion for food shopping remains strong\u2014so strong that conversations about today\u2019s sticker shock often turn into reflections on simpler times.<\/p>\n

\"MoreMore than 100 shoppers lined up on Thursday, June 26, 2025, for the grand opening of Aldi\u2019s second Staten Island location in New Dorp, underscoring the borough\u2019s enthusiasm for budget-friendly grocery options.(Advance\/SILive | Jessica Jones-When grocery shopping was an outing<\/p>\n

The emails have poured in since the report. From nostalgic sighs\u2014\u201cShopping used to be an event!\u201d\u2014to delectable memories that shaped our palates\u2014\u201cDo you remember the Bradford House at Grant\u2019s?\u201d\u2014former Staten Islanders are inspired to reminisce over the good old days.<\/p>\n

\"GrandThe W.T. Grant department store opened in New Dorp, Staten Island in 1966, serving as one of the original anchor tenants of Hylan Plaza. After the Grant chain folded in the mid-1970s, the location was later converted into a Kmart.<\/p>\n

One long-lost shopping destination frequently mentioned is W.T. Grant\u2019s in New Dorp. Before malls and big-box stores, Grant\u2019s was a go-to for thrifty shoppers. Its lunch counter was a treat: locals recall grabbing a steakburger or fried clam platter for under $1.50 while picking up household goods. The store closed in the mid-1970s when the chain folded, but its memory lingers\u2014like the aroma of coffee and the clanking of plates from its bustling caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\"ShoppingIn 1974, shelves at the Pathmark Supermarket in Grant\u2019s Plaza, New Dorp, were fully stocked\u2014but few shoppers were in sight, as inflation chipped away at the purchasing power of everyday wage-earners.Staten Island Advance<\/p>\n

Based on reader feedback, kids had their own reason to love Grant\u2019s\u2014the Cookie Club Card. Each visit meant a free cookie at the lunch counter, and some stores even offered prizes or stamps for frequent visits. It was a clever way to turn errands into adventures, building loyalty and creating family memories.<\/p>\n

The lunch counter was a big part of the borough\u2019s shopping experience. Remember Korvette\u2019s and Lobel\u2019s of Port Richmond? While I don\u2019t recall the food at Korvette\u2019s, I do remember the cork \u201chigh heel\u201d strappy sandals plucked from a bin there. (That was a splurge for us in the early 70s.) Based on reader feedback, both stores had small caf\u00e9s that made grocery shopping feel like a full-day.<\/p>\n

And Sears? Back in the 1950s, stores around the country featured soda fountains\u2014perfect for kicking the tires and then grabbing a bite.<\/p>\n

On the shopping-cum-restaurant experience, I also remember the employees\u2019 dining room at Macy\u2019s in Herald Square, where my grandmother worked. Macy\u2019s was a food lover\u2019s dream for two reasons: the lunch counter\u2014where I had my first-ever blue cheese and bacon burger (the chef was ahead of his time)\u2014and the great conversation with my dear grandma, Lillian. Plus, there was The Cellar, stocked with gourmet olive oils, spices, and cooking equipment\u2014pre-Rachael Ray, circa Pottery Barn.<\/p>\n

\"ShoppingThis was the scene at the A&P supermarket on New Dorp Lane in the early 1980s. It wasn’t a packed market. On the contrary, Gateway Park users jammed the parking lot with cars. The site is now part of a senior living complex. Staten Island AdvanceCrowds and curiosity<\/p>\n

Fast-forward to the Mannix family\u2019s early 80\u2019s opening of ShopRite in Graniteville, when one Staten Islander recalls waiting over two hours just to get inside. Grocery shopping has always been more than a chore here\u2014it\u2019s a community event, a chance to connect, and sometimes, a reason to celebrate with a store-made, standout occasion cake. <\/p>\n

Today, the conversation is different. Readers vent frustration over soaring prices, some calling it \u201cgreedflation.\u201d As one commenter put it on the Advance\/SILive.com Instagram page:<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the prices have become outrageous. I can understand inflation over time, but it\u2019s just pure greed. And to the loyal customers that spend huge parts of their paycheck at their store every year\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Back to the news: according to \u201cThe Wall Street Journal,\u201d while overall inflation this year is far below the pandemic-fueled surge of 2022, August reports show grocery prices climbing again\u2014dairy, fruits, vegetables, and cereals among the hardest hit.<\/p>\n

\"ShoppingAll dressed up and ready to shop on Jersey Street in the mid-seventies, Bess Myerson, then consumer affairs commissioner, checks the dairy shelves at A&P in an impromptu visit to New Brighton. Staten Island AdvanceRemembering the old neighborhood markets<\/p>\n

For longtime Staten Islanders, these headlines stir memories of Bohack on Forest Avenue, A&P on Castleton, and chains like Food Fair, Penn Fruit, and ACME. Specialty shops like Trunz Meats and Boston Fish were neighborhood anchors.<\/p>\n

\u201cA&P\u2019s were everywhere on SI in the 1960s,\u201d wrote Fred Deats. \u201cWas a time when each neighborhood shopped there. Basically, \u2018staying in their lane\u2019 because you could walk there.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added wistfully: \u201cI am happy I was part of an era on Staten Island that does not exist anymore. Once a small town, where everyone kinda knew each other, now unrecognizable to former residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FoodIn celebration of the opening of their fourth Staten Island ShopRite store, the Mannix family donated $26,000 in gift cards this week to local food pantries and community organizations to help combat food insecurity. Here, Tim Mannix, vice president of Mannix Family Markets, at center holding check, is flanked by representatives from several different community agencies. The store is favored among many for its generosity to the borough. (Courtesy of Mannix Family Markets)Today\u2019s choices\u2014and tomorrow\u2019s trends<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges, shoppers now have more options than ever. Some praise the variety, noting, \u201cCompetition is good.\u201d For those who\u2019ve moved south or to New Jersey, chains like Harris Teeter, Publix, and Wegmans fill the gap. Harris Teeter, now a Kroger subsidiary, operates more than 260 stores across the South Atlantic states and is known for fresh produce, prepared foods, and community-focused service.<\/p>\n

Closer to home, local favorites like La Bella Marketplace in Tottenville and Pastosa in West Brighton keep Staten Island\u2019s food culture vibrant. As one New Dorp resident summed it up:<\/p>\n

\u201cI just love good food. ShopRite\u2019s at the top of my list, and I\u2019ll take it over Trader Joe\u2019s or Aldi any day because ShopRite consistently gives back to the community. That kind of generosity makes a difference\u2014and I will be the first to pay it back.\u201d<\/p>\n

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