WEST CALDWELL, N.J. — Amid much fanfare and celebration, Sunrise ShopRite on Tuesday officially opened the doors of a brand-new ShopRite of West Caldwell, a state-of-the-art, nearly 90,000-square-foot supermarket designed to deliver a top-notch, modern shopping experience while also honoring nearly 85 years of family tradition and commitment to the community. The new store, located at 900 Bloomfield Ave., replaces the store’s former, longtime home at 540 Passaic Ave.
“It was very important to us to include everyone in this grand opening, and we are so excited to celebrate with our friends, neighbors and the entire community as we open the new ShopRite of West Caldwell,” said Dara Sblendorio, a fourth-generation grocer and president of Sunrise ShopRite. “Our new store is a tribute to the dedication of our family, our incredible retail teams and the loyal customers who have supported us for generations. With this beautiful location and our unwavering commitment to service and quality, we look forward to continuing to grow alongside the West Caldwell community for many years to come.”
It's a family affair
This tight-knit family has supermarket retailing in their blood. Ned Gladstein is Dara Sblendorio’s father and the third-generation owner and local resident. Frank Sblendorio Jr. is her husband and the director of Sunrise Kitchens and Community Engagement.
“Frank has worked with our company since he was 18, and his passion is our catering business,” said Sblendorio. “Sunrise Kitchens is our catering and store-made product brand. We have fully custom chef-prepared catering available, and this is featured prominently throughout our store.
“Scott Emerson is our store manager; he ran our former location for many years and managed the transition from one building to another. We brought virtually zero merchandise over when we moved in, and that’s no small feat. Finally, Jerry Manley is our new vice president. He joined us in August but has been a resident in our community for decades and has fit right in,” she added.
The ShopRite of West Caldwell carries forward a rich legacy rooted in family, community and tradition. For generations, the store has been a beloved destination for shoppers and employees alike. The original location was especially known for its iconic red pagoda-style roof — a nod to founder Irving Gladstein’s deep appreciation for Japanese architecture and culture. A World War II veteran who served in the Pacific theater, Gladstein made several trips to Japan, which inspired the store’s unique design.
To honor this heritage, the new store features archival photographs that celebrate the Gladstein family’s long-standing presence in West Caldwell. Beloved elements from the original location, such as the distinctive phone booths on Passaic Avenue, will also be incorporated into the new space, preserving the charm and character that customers have cherished for decades.
Sunrise ShopRite’s story began in 1940, when Nathan Gladstein opened Sunrise Market in Caldwell, N.J. After Nathan’s passing in 1948, his son Irving took the reins and joined the Wakefern Food Corp. cooperative in 1951, transforming Sunrise Market into a ShopRite. The West Caldwell store opened in 1967, and in 1980 Irving’s son Ned expanded the business with a new location in Parsippany. Today, the tradition continues with Dara Sblendorio.
Plenty of new offerings
The new location is twice the size of the previous one. Concord Cos. was the décor company that created the inside design and overall execution of the store.
Key new features include:
• Enhanced Sunrise Kitchens — Freshly prepared meals and favorite recipes, a made-from-scratch Pizza Shop, sushi, Asian cuisine and a hot buffet.
• Sunrise Cellars Wine, Beer & Spirits — Three aisles of curated selections with expert staff to help find the perfect pairing.
• Community Room — A dedicated space for cooking classes, wellness programs and private events.
• Wider aisles and an expanded parking lot for easier, more convenient shopping.
• Fresh Bake Shop with custom cakes and made-from-scratch breads and pastries.
• Full-Service Meat and Seafood Departments with expert butchers and daily-catch deliveries.
• Produce Department offering a large variety of organic and locally grown fruits and vegetables.
• Premium store brands including Bowl & Basket, Wholesome Pantry and Paperbird.
“The community of West Caldwell is a multi-generational town. People grew up here and then came back and raised their kids here. So, we’ve had people shopping in the store since it opened in 1967. This new store was a long time coming, and we are proud of what we are now able to offer our customers. We first started talking about this store in early 2000,” recalled Sblendorio.
“So we’ve been talking about this location within the community for 25 years. We outgrew the original building a long time ago and we wanted to give the town the right assortment, the right experience, because they’ve been so loyal to us for so many years. We wanted to give them the best ShopRite that they could have, because that ‘little engine that could’ at our last location really didn’t deliver the best experience, especially towards the end,” she pointed out.
There are plenty of eating options in the store where customers can pick up prepared dinner meals or grab-and-go breakfast, lunches and snacks. “My dad started Sunrise Kitchens in 1981, and we’ve been growing that brand ever since. We use it to identify all store-made items. So, whether it’s pizza, meals to go, hot foods, seasoned or marinated meat and seafood, we have culinary trained chefs who work in our company who create recipes to help residents in our area who don’t have time to cook,” she explained.
“It’s definitely been a big expansion with this new location. The addition of wine and spirits is really exciting. And the food options … Sushi. Pizza. All under one roof,” added Emerson.
“Moving to this bigger location also allows us to expand our Order.Pickup.Deliver. service for ultimate convenience. You can order it through our ShopRite app or shoprite.com, and you can either pick it up here or have it delivered,” said Sblendorio.
“Opening this store means a lot to us. I mean, we’ve been waiting for this for 25 years. They gave me the opportunity to run the old little engine and then now they brought me here to run this one. It’s great to give a staff a new location, and we’ve been able to give our team a chance to provide great customer service to this community; that’s what it’s all about. That’s what will them keep coming back,” said Emerson.
He added that over the last 20 months Sblendorio had been involved in every aspect in the building from construction up. “You walk around and look at the décor and all the finishing touches, I mean it’s top notch. This is a one-of-a-kind store, and it’s because of this one-of-a-kind young lady running it.”
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