New Brunswick Businessman Opens Somerset Supermarket

The longtime dream of a New Brunswick small business owner came true on Friday.

Felix Azcona and his family celebrated the grand opening of their new, independently owned supermarket on Friday surrounded by friends and community members.

Tropicana Supermarket is a 6,500 sq. foot supermarket that features fresh produce, a delicatessen, fresh meat and seafood, dairy, frozen food and dry goods.

The store also sells cigarettes, offers Western Union and has a grocery delivery service. It is staffed by 10 employees.

Azcona is the owner of the Los Reyes Supermarket on Somerset Street in New Brunswick, a convenience store that has been in business for over 20 years.

Azcona, a native of the Dominican Republic, said it was always his dream to be able to open a community supermarket. He hopes to someday be able expand the store into a chain.

Rev. DeForest B. Soaries, pastor of the nearby First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, said a community survey 20 years ago showed that the surrounding neighborhood desired a local supermarket.

After a nearby ShopRite closed, that need became even more urgent, he said. A dead-end attempt to bring Pathmark into the neighborhood soon followed, and an Aldi opened on Route 27 in New Brunswick, but the need still persisted, he said.

"Little did we know Felix was working on it," Soaries said.

Azcona's supermarket is exactly what was desired, and will serve as an anchor for food and employment, and will boost the neighborhood economy, Soaries said. 

"It is also a sign that this neighborhood is on the rise," Soaries said.

Tropicana Supermarket isn't the only business that is contributing to a makeover of the Franklin Boulevard neighborhood.

On Nov. 28, Central Jersey Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit affiliated with the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, and Genesis Companies broke ground on an affordable housing complex for senior citizens.

Richard E. Barber, Sr. a deacon at the church, and former chairman of the Franklin Township Redevelopment Agency, said he took a lot of pride in the finished supermarket, which is located in a new, mixed-use plaza that contains both residential and commercial space.

"It shows what can happen with unity and teamwork," he said.

Soaries said that he hopes the new market will serve a a monument to the results of hard work, persistence and sacrifice.

"This is all blood, sweat and tears," he said.

Tropicana Supermarket is located at 727 Franklin Blvd. in Somerset. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. seven days a week.

The store accepts all credit cards and food stamps and has an on-site parking lot.

For more information, call (732) 325-0589.

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