By Barbara A. Preston | December 3, 2021 | Updated on December 9, 2021
Kasia Market Montgomery LLC, which plans to open a gourmet Asian market in the Montgomery Place Shopping Center at the corner of Route 206 and Belle Mead-Griggstown Road (Route 630), appeared before the township's site plan/subdivision committee on December 7. The next step will be for the applicant to appear before the Montgomery Township Planning Board.
If approved by the board, the market anticipates opening in September 2022 and would join CVS and two other incoming tenants: a doggy daycare and Stem Academy daycare center, which should be opening soon.
Kasia Market would operate as a grocery store featuring a live seafood counter, a butcher, and fresh prepared foods. It would be open to the public from 8 am to 9 pm, seven days a week. The total number of employees would be 55-plus. Depending on work shift hours, there will be 30 to 35 employees in the market during operations at any given time, according the project description.
In a letter to the township's plan/subdivision committee, a Kasia representative wrote that the market would have two shifts of workers, with the timing of the shifts determined by the specific departments. There would be a morning shift from 7 am to 1:30 pm or 2:30, designed for working parents. The afternoon shift would run from 1:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The shifts will allow employees to maintain full-time employment with benefits and have a flexible six-day work schedule.
Kasia tells the township that it also hopes to hold outdoor local events, holiday celebrations and other "enrichment activities" for the community on weekends.
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At its launch, the store will have "at least" 40 employees with 55 or more employees eventually. Depending on the time of day and shifts, there will be 30 to 35 employees in the store at any single time.
The Montgomery Place Shopping Center, which has 77,072 square feet of retail space with 547 parking spaces according to Loop Net, was built in 2017. It has been empty on account of The Great Recession followed by the pandemic. A daycare center, Stem Academy, has been approved to open in the center. The academy refers parents to its Edison location for information. The academy offers STEM programs beginning in preschool.
"Your pre-school child will be introduced to S.T.E.M subjects including the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)," according to the Stem Academy website. "Dedicated lessons will give your child the opportunity to question and build a foundation in math, English, and technology as they begin their journey to academic excellence. Various physical activities will round out your child's day and build self-confidence."
The Dogtopia Doggy Daycare is also expected to be opening a franchise in the shopping center.
