STAMFORD, CT —At long last, a new grocery store will be moving into the space formerly occupied by Fairway at 699 Canal St. in Stamford.
Mom's Organic Market, a mid-Atlantic region-based organic supermarket chain, has signed a 10-year lease to open in a 13,080-square-foot space.
This will be the grocer's first Connecticut location. The store is expected to open in 2027.
Commercial real estate firm Charter Realty has represented the Darien-based real estate developer V20 Group, the landlord, in the redevelopment of the property since its inception, and William Cafero of Charter represented Mom's Organic Market in the latest lease.
"We're proud to have been a part of bringing 699 Canal back to life," Charter Realty said in an announcement Tuesday morning.
Mayor Caroline Simmons said the city is "excited" to be the home of the brand's first CT store.
"I want to thank V20 Group, and Joe and Jon Vaccaro for their partnership and commitment to bringing a grocery retailer to this location," Simmons said in an emailed statement to Patch. "We are excited to see the revitalization of this space and look forward to attracting additional tenants that will expand retail options for residents in the South End and Downtown neighborhoods."
Mom's Organic Market was founded by Scott Nash in 1987 in his mother's garage with an initial investment of $100. The business began as a mail-order and home-delivery service for organic produce. The first storefront opened in Rockville, Md. in 1990.
About 30 years later, there are now over 20 stores in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The closest store to Stamford is in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. in Westchester County. That location opened in 2021.
The brand is committed to quality ingredients, products and sustainability.
"We stock a higher volume of organic products than any other store, including organic produce. If organic options are not available, we have progressive standards that include a list of 250+ banned ingredients!" the company website notes. "In addition, Mom's does not allow products to target children with licensed cartoon characters on the package."
View the various departments at Mom's Organic Market stores here.
In 2005, Mom's Organic Market stopped using plastic bags, and in 2010, the company removed unnecessary plastic waste in its stores, including banning bottled still water. Customers can bring their own containers for bulk shopping for certain products.
Stores offer recycling for customers and employees including denim, corks and even cellphones, and also provides free car charging for customers and employees at almost every location.
Solar and wind power are used to offset stores' energy use, the company says.
The Charter Realty website notes there is 11,270 square feet of available storage space still available at the property.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Chipotle, Jersey Mike's and a Primrose School location signed leases to open within the redeveloped facility. Club Studio, a fitness and health club, lists "coming soon" to the building on its website.
Dan Zelson, principal of Charter Realty, told Patch in early October he anticipated Chipotle, Jersey Mike's and Primrose School to be in for permits "shortly."
Depending on when the permits are granted, construction will start immediately after, Zelson noted.
Chipotle is slated for 2,519 square feet, and Jersey Mike's will take up 1,176 square feet.
Primrose School is a national chain of private early education and care schools serving infants through kindergarten-aged children. The school has signed on for 16,167 square feet.
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