Cangiano’s Marketplace now occupies a second Jersey City location at 531 Summit Ave. in KRE Group and National Real Estate Advisors’ Journal Squared property. — Cangiano’s
By Joshua Burd
Cangiano’s Marketplace has opened its doors at Journal Squared, the pioneering mixed-use development in Jersey City’s resurgent Journal Square district.
The Italian specialties shop, which is marking its second location in the city, offers a mix of sandwiches, hot foods, desserts and other gourmet products from its space at 531 Summit Ave. It does so alongside several other grocery, restaurant and café businesses at the three-tower, 1,840-unit luxury apartment complex, which was developed by KRE Group and National Real Estate Advisors and includes some 36,000 square feet of retail space.
“We are transforming Journal Square not only into a thriving residential community, but a culinary destination as well,” said Jonathan Kushner, president of KRE Group. “Cangiano’s is a great addition to the neighborhood, one that we know will quickly become the go-to place for fresh sandwiches, prepared foods and specialty products.”
Cangiano’s is owned by Cosmo Cangiano and partners Steve Maugeri and Norman Bonoan, according to a news release. The announcement noted that Cangiano’s family roots in the business date to 1919 when his grandmother opened Cangiano’s Pork Store in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, paving the way for the 2020 opening of the first Jersey City location in Hamilton Park and the introduction of prepared foods and market items.
The business struck a chord with residents despite opening at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding from eight sandwiches in 2020 to 33 today, while also offering a sandwich of the day, pasta of the day, protein of the day, grilled salmon, lasagna, eggplant parmesan and other hot foods, the news release said. Customers began coming from all corners of Jersey City.
“We have a lot of customers who come from Journal Square at least once a week to shop here and they always say to me ‘When are you going to open something near us?’ ” Cangiano said. “We like Journal Square because it is an up-and-coming area right next to the train station. We see all of the buildings going up and there is a lot of foot traffic. So, when the opportunity to open something there presented itself, we went for it.”
Other food-related tenants at Journal Squared include Whealth Kitchen, a farm-to-table eatery, along with Food Story Natural Market, Journal Square’s first supermarket, and The Café at Journal Squared presented by Almost Home. KRE Group also created Magnolia Landing, a public plaza at the PATH station that is home to year-round community programming such as farmers markets, food festivals and live performances.
