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Farm-fresh grocery chain Stew Leonard’s is gearing up for the launch of its second New Jersey supermarket.

In advance of the store’s scheduled May 17 grand opening at 467 Allwood Road in Clifton, leaders from the family-run grocery business, as well as local and state officials, gathered to celebrate the occasion with a May 14 ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The festivities included toasting the new store with a glass of milk and the dedication of a 300-pound bronze statue created in honor of chain founder Stew Leonard Sr., who died in April 2023 at the age of 93.

Chief Executive Officer Stew Leonard Jr. – who was joined by his 92-year-old mother and children – commented, “We’re very proud to be here today to open our eighth food store. We brought cows with us because that is how we got started 100 years ago. My dad was a milkman and his father was in the dairy business; farming is in our blood.”

Community relations

According to the company, it has hired more than 400 new employees and promoted over 100 existing team members for the Clifton location.

Clifton Mayor Raymond Grabowski welcomed Stew Leonard’s, saying, “The city wishes you success as a new member of our business community.”

Other attendees at this week’s celebration include Sen. John McKeon, D-27th District, and representatives from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

Also present were dozens of kids from the local chapter of the Boys & Girls Club, an organization that Stew Leonard’s has a longstanding relationship with. Since 2009, the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation has awarded the nonprofit a total of $45,000 in grants, helping to teach more than 400 kids how to swim.

Leonard said, “My wife and I lost our little boy to drowning when he was only 2 years old. Therefore, it’s very important to our family to give back to the community in this way.”

Shop local

The 56,000-square-foot store takes over space left vacant by kosher supermarket Seasons. It will offer produce, dairy and meats from local vendors and New Jersey farms.

Leonard estimated the chain sources dairy and produce from “hundreds” of farms in the tri-state and said some of the “best products come from New Jersey, from blueberries to asparagus.”

In addition to several new animatronic shows, Stew Leonard’s in Clifton will feature the same signature elements found in its other locations, such as a one-way aisle and free ice cream or coffee with every $100 spent using the store’s downloadable loyalty app.

It also serves as the new home of Stew Leonard’s Wine & Spirits of Clifton, where shoppers will be able to find more than 1,200 wines, 1,100 spirits and 350 beers. The store moved from The Promenade Shops At Clifton to the interior of the supermarket at Styertowne Shopping Center.

Stew Leonard’s did similarly when it made its New Jersey debut five years ago at Paramus Park. At that time, it relocated its nearby Wine & Spirits outpost on Route 17 to the new store.

In Clifton, Stew Leonard’s food store will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The wine & spirits store will be open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Founded in 1969 by Stew Leonard Sr. as a single store in Norwalk, the company is now a $600 million business with more than 2,500 workers across eight locations.

Known for its animatronic characters and its selection of dairy, meats, seafood, produce, bakery items, cheese and prepared foods, the New York Times nicknamed the banner “the Disneyland of Dairy Stores.”