Letters to the editor, March 23

The importance of a full-service market

With due respect to Mr. Goldman in his March 16 letter to the editor (“Why another Shop Rite?”), he has completely misread both the situation and the needs of the neighborhood.

A store like ShopRite that would fill a hole, i.e., a neighborhood full-service supermarket for people whose nearby options are nonexistent, is exactly what is needed in the plaza. Wegmans? Way too small a footprint and too urban a location for this chain. Fairway? Love it, but not a full service market, barely able to keep its Woodland Park store open after bankruptcy, and its staples are limited and way too expensive for the average shopper. Trader Joe’s? A niche store that, again, is not anything close to a full service market, nice though it may be for the occasional trip.

He comments that ShopRite is already “easily accessible” in two other locations. I disagree with his definition of easily accessible in terms of having a neighborhood store for this part of the town. The right move was made aiming to replace one full service market with another. Hopefully, the wheels will going faster than we’re all anticipating.

Steve Cohen

Montclair