Before the Lyons Mall opened, where did Basking Ridge buy its groceries? New Jersey Hills answered that question in its July coverage of the Stop & Shop closing. When Grand Union opened as the mall's first tenant in 1970, the store "fared poorly in the early days as most local residents shopped in Bernardsville or Stirling."
Fifty-six years later, that history matters again. With Stop & Shop at 553 South Finley Avenue closing this month, the township's food shopping goes back to that older layout. Everyday food will come from a natural foods grocer, a farm store, and a few small shops in town, while the big cart-filling run goes back out along Route 202 and Route 206.
What's Closing, and What's Still Unconfirmed
Stop & Shop told local outlets in July that it "intends to operate the store through the early fall of 2026." Spokesperson Daniel Wolk said the decision followed "a routine evaluation of our store operations." Mayor Ana Duarte McCarthy said the company's government affairs liaison told the township on July 21. She said the decision came from a comprehensive financial review and lined up with the end of the store's lease.
The exact last day is still unsettled. TAPinto reported that the company had not announced a specific date beyond October. New Jersey Hills heard from staff sources that the final day would be either Wednesday, Oct. 28, or Thursday, Oct. 29. For planning, that means the last week of October. A firm date is still to come.
A few details from the announcement are worth knowing:
- All employees will be offered transfers to nearby Stop & Shop stores, including Berkeley Heights, Madison, and Watchung.
- The mayor said Stop & Shop plans to work with regional food bank networks during liquidation so usable food is donated.
- The company also announced the closing of its Westfield store on Elm Street. Wolk said "each decision was made independently" and that there were no plans to close other stores in this market.
A Store That Started as the Second Choice
The building's history explains why this closing feels different from a typical chain shutdown. Grand Union held a ribbon-cutting on Aug. 25, 1970, and gave orchids to its first 500 customers. The original store had a books and stationery department that drew little business and was walled off by the mid-1970s. Space that once belonged to the supermarket now holds three other stores.
The store grew its customer base as the township built out, and an 8,800-square-foot vestibule was added in 1992. When Grand Union went bankrupt, Stop & Shop took over the location in January 2001 through a liquidation sale, so the store never closed. For nearly 56 years, Lyons Mall has had a supermarket every day.
The township has lost a supermarket before. An A&P opened in the Dewy Meadow Village complex off King George Road in June 2002 and closed in November 2015 after the chain's bankruptcy. That building sat empty and was torn down in May 2019 to make room for apartments. Since then, Lyons Mall has been the only full supermarket in town.
What Stays Inside the Township
New Jersey Hills calls Stop & Shop "the township's only supermarket." Patch describes it as one of two and names Green's Natural Foods as the grocery store that remains. Both are accurate. Green's is a natural and organic grocer, not a conventional supermarket. Here is what's still available in Bernards Township:
| Where | Address | What it offers | Current details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green's Natural Foods | 25 Mountainview Blvd., Basking Ridge | Natural and organic groceries, produce, pantry staples, lunch, juices and smoothies | Patch named it the remaining grocery store in town |
| English Farm | 3625 Valley Road, Liberty Corner | Certified organic vegetables, available year-round | Farm store open Thu–Fri 12–4 p.m., Sat–Sun 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| The Porch | 107 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge | Coffee, tea, and small-batch baked goods, including seasonal pies and cookies | Opened October 2025 |
| Ridge Sandwich & Sweet Company | 31 S. Finley Ave., Basking Ridge | Sandwiches and sweets | Opened May 2025, expanding the former Ridge Sweet Shoppe |
English Farm is the oldest name on this list by a wide margin. In September 2025, Bernards Township honored it as the township's longest continuously operating business. Its pumpkin patch and maze opened Oct. 3, so the Liberty Corner farm store is busy this month for more than produce. Its limited hours, four afternoons a week, make it a planned stop rather than a quick errand.
The Farm Calendar Changes the Same Week
The supermarket isn't the only food stop that may change at the end of October. In August, the New Jersey History Project reported that Tyson and Doris Mertz plan to retire on Oct. 31, 2026, and won't renew their lease with Somerset County. They have run the roadside stand at Crane Farm, 270 South Maple Avenue, for decades. The stand sells Jersey tomatoes, lettuce, flowers, and other seasonal produce. No local news outlet has confirmed the report, and nothing has been announced about who, if anyone, will run the stand afterward. If you have a favorite late-season stop on South Maple Avenue, October is the month to go.
Ripple Hill Farm on Mountain Road, often a fall apple stop, says on its own site that there will be no apple picking or peaches in 2026 because blossoms were lost.
The closest seasonal market is just outside the township. The Bernardsville Farmers' Market sets up at the Bernardsville train station lot on Route 202 at Claremont Road. It runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Nov. 21, with no market on Oct. 17. That puts the Saturday produce trip in the same direction residents went before 1970.
The Big Cart Moves Out Along 202 and 206
For a full supermarket shop, New Jersey Hills counts only three other supermarkets in the five Somerset Hills towns:
- ShopRite on Route 202 in Bernardsville
- Kings on Route 206 in Bedminster Township
- The Fresh Market on Washington Valley Road in the Pluckemin section of Bedminster
If you shop by loyalty program, the nearest remaining Stop & Shop stores to the Somerset Hills are in Berkeley Heights, Madison, Watchung, and Morris Plains. Three of those are also where employees are being offered transfers, so some familiar faces from the South Finley Avenue store may turn up there.
Taken together, the township keeps its specialty and farm food close to home and sends the weekly stock-up across its borders. New Jersey Hills described that same pattern in 1970, before Grand Union caught on.
What Comes Next at Lyons Mall
The space may not stay a gap for long. At the Township Committee meeting on Tuesday, July 28, the mayor said the mall's owner had indicated that "there is a new tenant preparing plans and specifications for township review." She added that more details would be provided as they are determined. Lyons Mall owner Barbara Mackes told New Jersey Hills in July that an announcement was coming but had no further comment. Neither report said whether the new tenant is a grocer.
That review hasn't shown up publicly yet. As of early October, the township's Planning Board project portal lists four projects, none identified as Lyons Mall. The newest was submitted July 23, 2026. The Zoning Board's pending applications list shows two other cases. The first public sign of the new tenant will most likely be a filing on the Planning Board projects page or a Board of Adjustment pending application. Until then, Green's on Mountainview Boulevard, English Farm on Valley Road, and the Saturday market in Bernardsville are the closest food options to Lyons Mall.
When a filing for 553 South Finley Avenue appears, Hillary Ospina will share what it means for that stretch of Basking Ridge, including what's planned for the mall and when it could open. If you're weighing how changes like this affect your own home or your next move in the Somerset Hills, let's connect.
