In 1892, the Rabb (or Rabinovitz) family opened Greenie Store at 134 Salem Street in Boston’s North End, at which time it was one of the city’s first Jewish groceries. As the Jewish community grew with immigration from Eastern Europe, so did the number of Jewish-owned stores and restaurants. By 1920, Boston boasted over 300 Jewish delis, restaurants, and shops offering Jewish food. The Rabbs also continued to prosper, and in 1914 the Rabb family established the Economy Grocery Store in Somerville. Later, in 1942, the company took on the name it still goes by today: Stop & Shop. While I’m a big Aldi fan as well as a devotee of Kroger’s woohoo buys, I’ll always have a soft spot for this grocery chain. Not only was Stop & Shop one of the first stores I shopped at as a newly-fledged adult, but it’s also shouted out not once, but twice, in the Modern Lovers’ proto-punk anthem “Roadrunner.”
After adopting the new moniker, Stop & Shop continued its steady growth. It expanded out into the suburbs in the 1950s in line with the nationwide postwar construction boom, and by the end of that decade had 100 stores throughout New England. Subsequent decades brought continued expansion along with innovations such as revamped stores with wider aisles, an expanded line of budget-priced products, superstores offering specialty goods, and a gas rewards program in partnership with Shell. Today, after over 100 years in business, Stop & Shop has 363 locations which can be found in five different states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
Stop & Shop is keeping up with the times
It’s been a while since I’ve set foot in a Stop & Shop since I’ve long since moved out of the area, but it’s nice to know they’re still thriving. (And also that the Natick, Massachusetts Stop & Shop referenced in “Roadrunner” is still a going concern.) There have been some hardships, of course, including a massive 2019 strike by workers upset over high health care premiums and low wages. A few stores have also shut down, although Stop & Shop’s been spared the fate of old-school grocery store chains like A&P that were forced to close for good. Instead, recent years have seen the remodeling of certain stores to make them more contemporary and offer a more upscale experience.
A Stop & Shop in Staten Island underwent an upgrade in 2024 that brought more organic products along with an expanded range of Asian groceries as well as more kosher items (thus harking back to its roots). It also added new lighting and expanded its ready-to-eat selection. A 2026 re-opening of a store on Cape Cod also saw more prepared foods and an expanded line of Asian, Caribbean, and Latin American products. It now offers a fresh seafood selection, too, which is appropriate considering the location. These expansion projects occurring in separate locations speak well of the store’s optimism for its second century of existence…