Bayville A Great Opportunity For New Supermarket, Owner Says

BAYVILLE, NJ - Kumar Patel and Michael Giammarino liked what they saw when they looked at the site of the old Foodtown store in Baywick Plaza.

It needed some work, but they saw Bayville as a great location to open a supermarket.

"I had to spend a significant amount of money to get it up and running," said Patel, who co-owns the business with Giammarino.

The newly-renovated Market Fresh store will open its doors at 8 a.m. on Friday, during what Patel called "a soft opening," for the staff and residents.

Patel promises great customer service and competitive prices. There's a full produce section, meats and Boar's Head delicatessen meats, he said.

The old SuperFoodtown store, which had been the plaza's anchor store for more than 20 years, closed in February 2012. It was replaced by another store that didn't last long.

Kumar is well aware of Shop-Rite, currently the only supermarket in Bayville.

"We are not here to compete with Shop-Rite," Kumar said.

But his prices for produce and meat will be competitive, he said.

A formal grand opening will be held sometime during the next several weeks, Kumar said.

The store will have a total of 45 employees, with roughly 25 employees for three daily shifts. The hours will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Photo: Courtesy of Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr.