Death Of A Supermarket: Montclair Pathmark In Lackawanna Plaza Closes

Montclair’s Pathmark supermarket is now a ghost town.

On Friday, Montclair residents who live near the Lackawanna Plaza grocery store walked down the aisles for the final time.

A&P – which owns Pathmark and several other supermarket chains – declared bankruptcy in July and announced plans to close several of its supermarkets, including the Lackawanna Plaza location.

• See related article: A and P Declares Bankruptcy

While some of A&P’s stores - including the A&P on Valley Road in Montclair - have reportedly been sold to companies such as Acme, potentially saving the jobs of their employees, the Montclair Pathmark was not among them.

• See related article: Montclair Supermarket Workers May Lose Their Jobs

HP Lackawanna, the company which owns Lackawanna Plaza, is in discussions with other grocery store operators to replace the Pathmark, said Brian M. Stolar, president and CEO of The Pinnacle Companies, which operates HP Lackawanna with partner The Hampshire Companies.

“Our goal is to bring in a food store operator that will well serve the Lackawanna neighborhood and the Montclair Township overall,” Stolar told Baristanet in late October.

As the area’s residents scramble to find a new place to do their grocery shopping, Montclair town officials announced that they plan to arrange shuttle bus service to the Brookdale ShopRite in Bloomfield.

• See related article: Montclair Plans Shuttle Bus In Anticipation Of Pathmark Closure

Photos courtesy of Armando “OUTthere” Diaz

Send Montclair news tips and photos to eric.kiefer@patch.com