Millwood DeCicco’s Supermarket Scheduled for Dec. 30 Opening
A supermarket will return to New Castle by the end of the month.
DeCicco & Sons is scheduled to open in Millwood Plaza on Dec. 30 in the space that had long been occupied by the now bankrupt A&P.
While crews worked inside the roughly 20,000-square-foot store Thursday afternoon, company President John DeCicco said if there are no delays the store will open in two weeks just before New Year’s. He said town Supervisor Robert Greenstein and Councilman Adam Brodsky along with Dodd Farber, owner of Dodd’s Liquor City, which is next door to the supermarket, appealed to him to move into the shopping center.
“I was getting a tour of the area, showing me around and seeing how badly the community wanted a supermarket,” DeCicco said of why he decided to open what will be the company’s seventh location.
Last December, the company launched its Larchmont store and several years earlier opened the Armonk location that has been the centerpiece for the development of Armonk Square. New Castle has been without a supermarket since A&P closed for good at Millwood Plaza on Nov. 30, 2015.
Recently, the DeCicco & Sons sign was affixed to the front of the store and some of the shelves have been stocked with nonperishable items.
Greenstein said the town is “thrilled” with the imminent opening of the store because it will provide a much-needed quality supermarket. DeCicco & Sons also has a history of contributing to the communities where they open.
“They’ve already really shown a real commitment to the community,” he said. “They’re sponsoring 2,000 reusable bags, they work with the schools where they give back a portion of their sales to the schools and they’re sponsoring some beds over at the Millwood Community Garden that’s under construction. They have a reputation for being real members of the community and they’re going to be (here).”
The supermarket will have a craft beer section in the upstairs area that is being built, Greenstein said.
Farber, an Armonk resident who has been a frequent customer at that DeCicco’s since it opened, said he spoke to the family and asked them to consider the Millwood Plaza space. While DeCicco was initially hesitant, he agreed to explore the possibility with him and town officials, Farber said.
Millwood Plaza is a prime location off the Route 133/Route 100 exit of the Taconic Parkway, he said. He expects the store to draw customers throughout New Castle, Briarcliff Manor, Ossining and Croton-on-Hudson and will be popular because of its high-end quality and specialty items and relatively reasonable prices.
“This is a rejuvenation of Millwood. It’s going to work,” Farber said. “Millwood’s going to be the premiere shopping area of northern Westchester. People are going to come.”
One shopper at Dodd’s said he’s visited the DeCicco & Sons in Armonk and if the Millwood supermarket is anything like that one it will be a hit.
“What’s really noticeable is the produce,” he said. “The produce section looks like a market in California.”
Along with shoppers and town officials, Millwood Plaza merchants are also pleased an anchor store will return to the shopping center. Jill Park, owner of Paradise Nails a few doors down for 19 years, said there’s been a noticeable drop in foot traffic during the past year.
It also hasn’t helped that once A&P stopped paying the electric, the shopping center has been dark, particularly when the sun sets earlier.
“Everybody is looking forward to this and very excited and counting the days until they open,” Park said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
