Montclair Whole Foods

Rail Paul · May 5, 2005

Barista reports that the Montclair WF (Bloomfield Ave) will be replaced by a new WF located in West Orange. The reported location is the Pathmark site.

So, after all the complaining about tight parking, dented and dinged car doors, etc, shoppers will have the benefit of a large parking lot and a newer, bigger store. If it's as nice as Madison's store, that will be a great improvement.

Barista

Curlz · May 5, 2005

Very interesting--thanks for sharing!

ghostrider · May 5, 2005

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.

jb_973 · May 5, 2005

Now, ghostrider, some of us West Orange eGulleters appreciate a bit more diversity in our local shopping choices :)

pete ganz · May 5, 2005

Who the hell goes to West Orange?
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Right!!

hitmanoo · May 6, 2005

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.
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The problem with the Montclair lot is the lazy folks who refuse to park in the back lot b/c it's about a 30 second longer walk than the front lot. Cars will circle around that front lot 10 times before simply parking in the back lot.

On a different note, I had heard that only the wine department at Montclair was closing. I had heard an additional Whole Foods location was going to open in W. Orange. Closing the Montclair location would make more sense. Having locations in Montclair, Millburn and W. Orange would be too much, too close.

I think that the Montclair location is just too small. They should have made a move to take out the Starbucks and expand the store.

scott123 · May 6, 2005

Uh... Whole Foods Montclair is definitely NOT closing. There was conjecture in Barista, that's all. Nothing definitive.

Whole Foods is expanding or maybe a better word would be exploding. Have you seen the business they're doing?!? Stores pulling in those kind of ducats don't close.

jo-mel · May 6, 2005

I'd like to see them stay in Montclair. Parking up at that Pathmark isn't so hot, either.

Curlz · May 6, 2005

I don't know if Scott knows this to be fact, or if he's speculating, but I'd agree! Think about it...if all of the W.O. folks who come to the Montclair store had one closer, they'd free up at least a little bit of the congestion in the Montclair store! The Pathmark location is just over 2 miles from the current store--which isn't all THAT close in traffic terms! And sorry--but Millburn is too far out of the loop to consider it close to these other two locations. I won't be surprised if they keep Montclair open. It can be their 'boutique' location! :laugh:

WestOrangeFrank · May 6, 2005

WF in the old Pathmark? That's great news. Traveling to Kings in Caldwell, or the Essex Green shopping center has been tough.

Someone had said that Pathmark location was going to be a Sears?!

Who the hell goes to West Orange?

:biggrin:

Edited May 6, 2005 by WestOrangeFrank (log)

Jason Perlow · May 6, 2005

The Montclair whole foods is definitely one of the more smaller locations I have seen, and they seem not to be as well stocked or carry as large a variety of things as some of the others do as well -- so moving to a bigger location will be a welcome change. And I agree about the tight parking situation -- my 18 and a 1/2 foot Cadillac will surely thank them for it.

menton1 · May 6, 2005

Barista reports that the Montclair WF (Bloomfield Ave) will be replaced by a new WF located in West Orange. The reported location is the Pathmark site.
So, after all the complaining about tight parking, dented and dinged car doors, etc, shoppers will have the benefit of a large parking lot and a newer, bigger store. If it's as nice as Madison's store, that will be a great improvement.
Barista
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RP, up my way in Ridgewood, the not-very-old Whole Foods also has a VERY small parking lot in front, and a larger lot in the back with a longer walk. Ridgewood is laid out a little better than Montclair but they have the same amount of merchandise, it seems.

The Montclair location is one of the oldest, and I remember when it was the original FreshFields and was more of a novelty than it is today. Maybe it is a landlord issue, but it would be very surprising if they do indeed close the Montclair location.

hitmanoo · May 6, 2005

What I had heard was that the Pathmark was going to become a Sears superstore, and that the Sears Hardware store at the Essex Green Mall was going to close.

The Whole Foods was going to be in the same location as the Pathmark, only they were going to build a new structure somewhere near the bank--closer to Prospect Ave.

The parking lot in this area is absolutely huge. If they were to build the Whole Foods away from the existing mall, and if they were to utilize some more of that area closer to the road for parking, this could work out well.

Oh, and Curlz, I completely disagree with you on the Millburn location. Where I live, the Montclair location and the Millburn location are equadistant. Putting the W.O location in the center would definitely put a draw on both the Montclair and Millburn stores. While we'll all agree that Whole Foods is a great supermarket, I wouldn't want to see it go the route of the Home Depot in that there are so many of them. At some point they start to compete against themselves.

ghostrider · May 6, 2005

The word on my street (Bloomfield Ave, right across from Whole Foods) is that WF owns the building, is kicking out Starbucks when their lease expires (pity, seemed a marriage made in, err, purgatory), knocking down the wall & expanding their space.

Doesn't quite jibe w rumors of their closing.

Of course anything can happen, regardless of what a corporation says at any point in time.

jo-mel · May 7, 2005

The word on my street (Bloomfield Ave, right across from Whole Foods) is that WF owns the building, is kicking out Starbucks when their lease expires (pity, seemed a marriage made in, err, purgatory), knocking down the wall & expanding their space.
Doesn't quite jibe w rumors of their closing.
Of course anything can happen, regardless of what a corporation says at any point in time.
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LOL! I was just going to say that if I lived across the street from Montclair's WF, I sure wouldn't want them to move!! I'm not a Starbuck's fan, so I would be delighted to see WF expand. At times, trying to navigate the produce section at WF sends me to Kings.

ghostrider · May 7, 2005

Actually I work across the street from Whole Foods (live in Rutherford). The WF is one of the attractions to working in Montclair, for me. Fresh seafood! That's what it's all about. I even have one of those gel icepack thingies from Campmor to keep the fish chilled while driving it home on warm days. It's all such a treat.

The Starbucks is handy when I need a quick cup of good tea, so I'll miss them when they're gone, if I'm still working in the area then. Not sure what the timetable is on their lease, nor what my future holds.

There seems to be a certain aesthetic coupling between WF & Starbucks, & they certainly generate a lot of cross-trade for each other.

Edited May 7, 2005 by ghostrider (log)

scott123 · May 7, 2005

I don't know if Scott knows this to be fact, or if he's speculating, but I'd agree! Think about it...if all of the W.O. folks who come to the Montclair store had one closer, they'd free up at least a little bit of the congestion in the Montclair store! The Pathmark location is just over 2 miles from the current store--which isn't all THAT close in traffic terms! And sorry--but Millburn is too far out of the loop to consider it close to these other two locations. I won't be surprised if they keep Montclair open. It can be their 'boutique' location!
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I have friends who work for Whole Foods and we discussed all the store openings just a couple of days ago. New York has a bunch (7 maybe?), New Jersey has 3 (this I know), the chain they bought out in London is opening shortly and I think my friends mentioned something about Germany.

If a store were to be closing, in the middle of this massive expansion that's occuring, believe me, it would be big news within the company. All I hear from my friends is "new stores, new stores, new stores."

menton1 · May 9, 2005

Sorry, disregard.

Edited May 9, 2005 by menton1 (log)

Curlz · May 9, 2005

The Starbucks is handy when I need a quick cup of good tea, so I'll miss them when they're gone, if I'm still working in the area then.
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Ghost, there's a great shop on Church Street that you need to check out...it's called Beans, but they also have a lot of tea and tea items!!

menton1 · May 9, 2005

While shopping in the Montclair WF last night, we noticed a large sign posted by the cashiers and the exit: "Whole Foods has NO plans to close the Montclair location, it will be remaining here as will Starbuck's; there are plans for a new WF in West Orange by Pathmark, as well as the potential for a new location in Paramus."

End of story.

ghostrider · May 9, 2005

Ghost, there's a great shop on Church Street that you need to check out...it's called Beans, but they also have a lot of tea and tea items!!
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I spotted it the other day across the street, but didn't have time to stop in. Glad to have your recommendation!

Also discovered a British imports store further down Bloomfield that has a nice & very eclectic tea selection. (I've already forgotten to the name & address but I can find it again. I think.)

Montclair is happening! And WF & Starbucks will remain! O happy day. :hmmm:

(Of course all of my prior experience in the corporate world tells me that that sign at WF guarantees they'll be shut down inside of 6 months.)

Edited May 9, 2005 by ghostrider (log)

jb_973 · May 9, 2005

ghostrider - I think you're probably talking about the London Food Company? (416 Bloomfield Ave). This is where I get my fix of chocolate and crisps (ahem, chips...) from the home country. And they do have some nice tea in there (my regular cuppa comes from a PG Tips tea bag.)

jo-mel · May 10, 2005

While shopping in the Montclair WF last night, we noticed a large sign posted by the cashiers and the exit: "Whole Foods has NO plans to close the Montclair location, it will be remaining here as will Starbuck's; there are plans for a new WF in West Orange by Pathmark, as well as the potential for a new location in Paramus."
End of story.
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They must read Egullet!!

Curlz · May 10, 2005

And/or Baristanet.com!

AlwaysCravingThai · May 20, 2005

What I had heard was that the Pathmark was going to become a Sears superstore, and that the Sears Hardware store at the Essex Green Mall was going to close.
The Whole Foods was going to be in the same location as the Pathmark, only they were going to build a new structure somewhere near the bank--closer to Prospect Ave.
The parking lot in this area is absolutely huge. If they were to build the Whole Foods away from the existing mall, and if they were to utilize some more of that area closer to the road for parking, this could work out well.
Oh, and Curlz, I completely disagree with you on the Millburn location. Where I live, the Montclair location and the Millburn location are equadistant. Putting the W.O location in the center would definitely put a draw on both the Montclair and Millburn stores. While we'll all agree that Whole Foods is a great supermarket, I wouldn't want to see it go the route of the Home Depot in that there are so many of them. At some point they start to compete against themselves.
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Now that Sears bought Kmart, they are renaming and revamping several locations, including the WO store. I don't know about the Pathmark location, but the Kmart will become one of the new Sears monikers.

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