The Stop & Shop at 219 Elm Street is scheduled to close on Thursday, October 22, 2026, which is 17 days from today. Most of downtown Westfield has known since July that the store was leaving. Fewer people know that the property under it had already been sold in the first quarter of the year, months before the closure was announced.
That sale order shapes everything that follows. The building's next use will be decided by commercial owners deciding what to lease. Housing rules and a redevelopment plan are not what's driving it. In the meantime, the weekly grocery run on Elm Street depends on a single supermarket a few blocks away.
How the Date Went From Vague to Fixed
When Stop & Shop first told Patch about the closure on July 22, a company spokesman, Daniel Wolk, said only that the store would operate "through the early fall of 2026." He said the decision followed "a routine evaluation of our store operations" and that all employees would be offered transfers to other Stop & Shop locations. The exact date came seven weeks later.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 219 Elm Street property sold to new owners |
| March 2026 | Town's affordable housing discussion notes residential use is allowed on the site above ground-floor retail |
| July 22, 2026 | Stop & Shop announces the Westfield closure, "early fall" timing |
| July 24, 2026 | Mayor Jeremy Berman discusses the sale and the owners in his weekly update |
| Sept. 11, 2026 | NJ.com reports a confirmed closing date of Oct. 22 |
| Oct. 5, 2026 | Planning Board agenda lists three applications, none for 219 Elm |
| Oct. 22, 2026 | Scheduled final day of operation |
Westfield is not the only New Jersey closure for the chain this year. NJ.com reported that the Stop & Shop at 553 S. Finley Ave. in Basking Ridge closes October 29, a week after Westfield. The store at 2360 Lakewood Road in Toms River closed earlier this spring. Each closure followed a separate review of that store's operations. Taken together, they show a chain cutting stores across the state, not a reaction to anything particular to Elm Street.
Who Owns 219 Elm Now, and What They Tend to Do
Two days after the announcement, Mayor Jeremy Berman used his weekly update to explain the property's ownership. TAPinto Westfield printed his remarks:
"The property was sold in the first quarter of this year, and I have since had several productive conversations with the new owners. Historically, the new owners have been recognized for acquiring, repositioning and re-tenanting commercial properties — not as residential developers. We expect they will pursue a similar approach with this property."
In the same update, he said the property is privately owned and that "the Town does not have a role in determining its future use." He also acknowledged that the announcement was "concerning for both its employees and the residents who rely on it."
The local reporting so far, including The Westfield Leader, refers only to "the new owners" and does not name them. Berman's comments are an expectation based on the owners' track record. No tenant has been announced. Re-tenanting fits the order of events. Commercial buyers who bought the site with a supermarket still operating, and then let it close, are dealing with a leasing decision, not a plan to build housing.
Why Apartments Are Allowed but Not Expected
Housing is allowed on the site, which is part of why the closure set off questions about apartments. In March, while discussing Westfield's affordable housing plan, the mayor noted that residential use is permitted at 219 Elm as long as there is retail on the ground floor. Any building would be capped at four stories and 25 units per acre, and it would have to include affordable units. At that time, he said there were no current redevelopment plans for the property.
So the zoning would allow a mixed-use building, and the owners' history points toward commercial leasing. Nothing official has settled it. The Planning Board agenda for October 5 lists three pending applications, and none of them involves 219 Elm Street. A residential project would have to show up on a public agenda like that one first. Until it does, the most reliable signals are the town's agendas and the mayor's weekly updates, and Berman has said he will share updates with the community as more information becomes available.
The Grocery Run After October 22
Trader Joe's is the supermarket that remains on Elm Street. Its store locator lists the Westfield store at 155 Elm Street, open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and showed it operating as of today, October 5. Our research did not turn up another full-service supermarket inside town limits that will still be operating after Stop & Shop closes.
The nearest full-service options outside downtown:
- ACME Markets, 801 Kenilworth Blvd., Kenilworth. Its store listing includes grocery, produce, meat and seafood, bakery and deli departments.
- Other Stop & Shop locations. NJ.com lists the closest remaining stores to Westfield in Watchung, Berkeley Heights, Union and South Orange.
Several downtown food shops cover the smaller daily purchases. Bagel Cafe NJ opened in September at 272 North Ave. East, serving hand-rolled bagels and house-roasted turkey, and co-owners Craig and Christina Bass held a ribbon-cutting on September 14. PopUp Bagels held a grand opening for its first New Jersey location at 220 South Ave. West on July 10. Bovella's Pastry Shoppe at 101 E. Broad St. says it is open seven days a week.
A seasonal farmers market won't fill the gap. The most recent local report we found said the Westfield Farmers Market, which the Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce operated at the time, was suspended for the 2023 season. We found no verifiable 2026 schedule.
Elm Street Is Still Getting New Tenants
The rest of Elm Street suggests what kind of street the new owners will be leasing on. Over the past few months, new tenants have moved into spaces that opened up, and most of them are personal-service businesses, not food retailers.
- Glowbar, 118 Elm St. The 30-minute custom facial studio opened in August across the street from Trader Joe's and held a ribbon-cutting September 8.
- Bonded Lash Bar, 57 Elm St. It took over the space where Fresh Bui sold juices, smoothies and Malaysian food until this summer. Co-founders Angela Vargas and Nicole Wiebe held the opening ribbon-cutting today, October 5.
- Straight Up Indian, Elm St. The restaurant is listed as in development on Elm Street, and its own site says "Coming Soon."
The same pattern shows up beyond Elm Street. In August, TAPinto reported that Learning Express had closed at 104 Quimby St. after 20 years and that N&C Jewelers next door had closed for retirement. In the same report, Le Bistrot was preparing to open at 103 Quimby and Vina, a Vietnamese street food restaurant from the owners of Kirshenbaum Baking Co., was coming to 114 Quimby. Downtown storefronts have generally been re-leased after a closure. A full-size supermarket space is a much bigger lease than a facial studio or a bistro, and nothing reported so far says who would fill it.
Until there's an announcement, three facts are confirmed. Stop & Shop's last day is October 22. The building belongs to owners whose history is commercial re-tenanting. Trader Joe's at 155 Elm is the only in-town supermarket our research could confirm will still be open the next morning.
If you own near Elm Street and want to understand how a re-tenanted anchor space could affect the blocks around it, Robert Sanchez follows downtown Westfield's commercial changes closely and can walk you through what to watch for at 219 Elm. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
