Teaneck—If you’re anything like me, when you heard that there was going to be yet another kosher supermarket opening in Teaneck, your first thought may have been “Really? Another one? Do we really need another kosher supermarket?”

With this (only slightly) cynical thought in mind, I headed over to Cedar Market at 646 Cedar Lane to see what could possibly be different about this place. As I pulled into the lot I noted that it was surprisingly filled considering the supermarket was barely a week old.

As I walked in, I was immediately impressed with the brightly lit, beautifully clean and spacious store. To the right you are greeted by a beautiful produce section. Pyramids of fresh fruit and shelves of vegetables lined the extra wide aisles. Well, that was certainly well beyond the potatoes and onions section that I was expecting!

I headed directly to the back to chat with owner Yossi Hollander to get the low-down on why he’d decided to open yet another grocery store in Teaneck and what his mission and vision was for this new establishment.

Yossi has been in the food and grocery industry for 15 years. It’s in his blood and it’s what he knows. He didn’t just pick up one day and decide Teaneck was the spot to plant his vision. For more than two-and-a-half years he studied this community, the surrounding towns and all the grocery buying options available to us. What became clear to him was this fact: There was no single option available that truly offered a one-stop-shop for ALL of your grocery shopping needs. People were traveling to Monsey or Brooklyn to go bulk shopping for their meats. They’d spend Friday hopping from one spot to another to get challah and cake, prepared foods, packaged grocery items, cut fruit, fresh produce… all the while looking for not only best quality but the best prices. Overall, he felt that shoppers in this area were not 100 percent satisfied with the available options and so he decided to offer the community what he could see was needed.

And the seeds for Cedar Market were planted.

According to their website, The Cedar Market mission is to enhance the lifestyle of consumers in the Northern New Jersey region by providing an upscale shopping experience with unprecedented customer service, along with a large variety of quality goods at the lowest possible prices.

Based on my conversation with Yossi and what I saw in the store, it would seem that they are closely following that mission.

Cedar Market is equipped with an on-site bakery for fresh-baked challah and cakes. The challah rolls have that mini-braid shape you might remember from your youth, and were soft and delicious.

Their meat shelves were stocked with a wide variety of options, from chicken to veal and a lot of specialty options you’d usually have to travel to find.

The deli counter is coming soon but promises to be stocked with the best in prepared foods for ease and convenience.

Unlike many of the other kosher grocery stores, their shelves are packed with everything you’d find at a traditional grocery store, from cereal and toothpaste to paper goods and cleaning products. They’re priced competitively with chain grocery stores so you don’t have to kick yourself for spending twice as much on a dusty roll of aluminum foil because you forgot to pick some up elsewhere.

The produce department at Cedar Market rivals that of some of the boutique farmers’ markets and produce stores with quality fruits and vegetables hand-picked at Hunts Point Produce Market, the largest produce market in the world! By buying their produce direct, Cedar Market can afford to sell at prices lower than you’ll find anywhere else. When items are on sale at the produce market, he passes those savings on to you.

The same is true for all of their various departments. Cedar Market is dedicated to giving customers the best prices in the area. On the day we spoke, there was a “crazy sale” in progress. Strawberries were on sale at five containers for $5. Peaches were $.49/ lb. YoCrunch Yogurt, usually $1 wherever I normally buy them, were 2/$1. And the most surprising savings, that big block of Miller sliced American cheese that kids seem to go through like water. I am used to paying $13.99 at other kosher markets and as much as $18.99 at chain markets. Cedar Market was selling it for$8.99. I almost bought two.

Cedar Market also offers fresh sushi rolls from their in-house fish department. The cost of a large, creative roll? Anywhere from about $8-$12. Pretty standard. But the hook? Here they have an ongoing everyday special—Buy two get one free!

Too good to be true? Taking the sale into account, I asked Yossi if his prices were going to stay this low. His response? He knows what things cost. He predicted that in order for other supermarkets to keep up they’re all going to have to lower their prices to match his, because he claims his prices are on par with what groceries should cost and everyone else is overpriced. A compelling, although not 100% definitive answer.

It doesn’t take a grocer to know that in order to keep prices low, he’s going to have to keep his inventory moving. That means happy customers who return time and again and tell their friends. How does he plan to do that? To begin with, the store is dedicated to making your shopping experience enjoyable and productive. The store is clean and organized with friendly staff members lining the extra wide aisles wearing easy-to-identify polo shirts. They are quick to offer help and make sure you are finding everything you need. In general, the store maintains an open-door policy to customers. Feedback is always welcome and they want to know if there is anything you want or need so they can get it for you.

In an unusual twist for a “local” market, Cedar Market is going to continue to have advertised sales. Printed circulars with the savings will be distributed through a number of channels letting potential customers in the immediate and surrounding areas know about what they have to offer.

In addition, they plan to take full advantage of social media to keep customers in the loop with what is going on at the store. They will be growing their mailing list and will maintain visibility via Facebook and Twitter so they can stay connected to the community that they are eager to serve.

Is this new supermarket different than the other offerings around? On the surface it seems to be. Will they be able to maintain their vision, their prices and the customer loyalty that will guarantee their success? Only time will tell. In the meantime, they are definitely going to be my go-to spot, even if it’s just for the five for $5 on fresh mangoes!

I’ve been asking around, doing some investigative journalism into the subject and according to my neighbor, who’s been there twice this past week, it’s easily the best option out there. He was surprised to learn that 5-Hour Energy is kosher, and almost bought one just because he was amused that a kosher supermarket could be that well-rounded. The only thing he wanted that they didn’t offer? Fresh flowers to bring home for Shabbat.

Ya hear that Yossi? Get on it!

You can reach Cedar Market online at http://thecedarmarket.com

Tel: 201-855-8500

on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheCedarMarket

By Tova Gold