Who would believe that the parking lot that we maneuver into so cautiously to do our weekly shopping could be transformed into a virtual mini-Disney? That was indeed the case on Sunday, September 4, when Cedar Market celebrated its third anniversary in a climate of fun and festivity.
The crowds began assembling at 1 p.m. and did not disperse until well after 4:30 p.m., the official closing time. It was a complete toss-up as to who was having the most fun—the children, their parents or their grandparents. (Personally, my vote goes to the grandparents.) Celebrants hailed from the local neighborhoods in Teaneck and Bergenfield as well as far-flung communities such as Edison, Cedarhurst and even Lakewood.
The parking lot accommodated a 25-foot climbing wall, a multi-car train, huge climbing structures and carnival games. The children were thrilled by the opportunity to slush around in a rink filled with foamy suds. Ongoing entertainment was provided by Dr. Schnitzel’ s Science Shows, musical entertainment by Eli Marcus and Dovid Pearlman, juggling stunts by Amazing Josh as well as strolling magicians.
Very popular offerings were the balloon sculptures and face-painting stations. Many puppies, butterflies and fairies could be seen interspersed within the crowds. To preserve the memories of the day, a photographer was on site and the resulting pictures were delivered within minutes in a choice of fun frames.
Food, you ask? Abundant, from savory sausages and mini-hamburgers to popcorn, snow cones and the all-time favorite—multi-colored cotton candy. Pink-sprinkled cupcakes were distributed to all.
“We wanted to celebrate with the community in high style for their loyalty to us. We wanted to express our hakoras hatov for three wonderful years in Teaneck,” said Yossi Hollander, CEO of Cedar Market.
“Over the past three years, we have tried to be sensitive to the needs and wants of our consumers. We are always open to feedback on our products and pride ourselves on being responsive and reactive,” added Eli Langer, Chief Marketing Officer.
“In addition to our full-page advertisements in The Jewish Link and the Standard, we are upgrading our digital advertising through The Jewish Link website, Facebook and other social media. This allows us extra time per week to research and offer our customers the best deals possible that may not be ready for advertising when the papers go to print. On Saturday night and Sunday we often offer specials savers and on Monday night we advertise secret deals. Periodically we offer gift cards for savings up to $25 per family. Last Chanukah, we distributed prizes amounting to more than $2,000.”
“Within the next few months,” according to Langer, “ we will be offering our customers an app for their mobile device through which they will be able to access a complete shopping list including the specials of the day. Orders will be delivered the same day.”
Hollander added, “From our expansive offerings of cut vegetables and fruits, to our fresh-daily sushi bar to Shloimie’ s Heimeshe Bakery offerings, we aim to please. We are always on the lookout for new products produced locally and abroad. We recently brought in a line of bakery items from the popular Marzipan Bakery in Israel.”
“Our motto is ‘Fine Foods, Great Savings’ and our mission is to service the community in the best way possible for their health and pocketbooks. We are a large community and there are many people to serve. We hope to be around for many more years to do so.”
By Pearl Markovitz
