History: A & P Grocery Stores Open in Cliffwood, Port Monmouth (1959)

1959 was the centennial anniversary of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, otherwise known as A & P. With so many people moving to the New Jersey suburbs, lots of new grocery stores were being built. I found evidence of two new A & P stores opening in our area that year -- Port Monmouth and Cliffwood.

The 29 Jan 1959 edition of The Red Bank Register included a photo of the new A & P on Route 36 at Wilson Avenue in Port Monmouth. The store was one of the largest in the state at 20,300 sq ft. The new store's ribbon-cutting ceremony included Frank F Blaisdell, mayor of Middletown; Raymond Slater, A & P assistant general superintendent for the Newark region; Earl N Hoyer, Chief of Police for Middletown; Harold Welchler, store manager; Roy Klebacher, A & P area meat superintendent; Thomas McManus, A & P district supervisor.

The 8 Oct 1959 edition of The Matawan Journal featured a photo of the ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new A & P grocery store in Cliffwood two days earlier. The photo included (left to right): Robert Cronheim, representing the developers of the shopping center; Roy Klebacher, general meat superintendent; Harold B Cohen, field superintendent; R S Slater, general superintendent; John Marz, Jr, mayor of Matawan Township; Steven Sovinsky, store manager; and Walter Dangler, assistant manager.