By Sarah Fertsch
Staff Writer
After spending 25 years working in retail, John Battrous, Zivile Abromaviciute and her adopted dad, Dennis McConnell (who spent 50 years in retail) took a leap of faith. And in May 2021, they opened their own Eastern European grocery store on Tilton Road in Northfield.
When you walk through the store doors, your eyes are drawn up to the dozen flags hanging from the ceiling. Below, shelves are fully stocked with colorful packages with logos written in Russian, Romanian, Polish and other tongues.
Like any grocery store, the Euro Shoppe is divided into various sections: frozen items, deli meats and cheeses, canned goods, snacks and sweets, and fresh bakery treats. Customers wander between aisles, browsing a diverse array of food and drink.
A man glides through the entrance and is immediately greeted with big hugs and smiles. Zivile sings ‘Happy Birthday’ and the man’s face lights up. “We really get to know all of our customers and we even order inventory based on what individual shoppers want,” said Zivile.
The Euro Shoppe celebrates and honors Eastern European heritage and traditions. Zivile told Shore Local News that when a customer shops for the first time, they are often overwhelmed with emotion when they see a particular item.
“These people have left their home and haven’t eaten some of these foods since they came to America,” said Zivile. “They have vivid childhood memories and we offer them a taste of nostalgia. It’s really great.”
Margaret Kostrzewski retired down the Jersey Shore and discovered the Euro Shoppe in February 2022, inspired by their mission and community connection. She came in so often, and she eventually moved behind the counter, along with other part-time associate Sylvia Caruso.
Zivile emigrated from Lithuania and Margaret emigrated from Poland. Dennis, happy to help, drives over 100 miles miles from northern Pennsylvania to support his daughter and the store.
Zivile is the official owner of the shop, but is supported by her adopted dad and friend Margaret, who work with customers and restock the shelves. Zivile orders the inventory, which proves to be more of a challenge than for standard grocery stores.
“Most of our vendors are based in New York City, and we are their only delivery stop in South Jersey,” explained Dennis. “This means that we will go for long stretches of time without certain products, or we have to drive north ourselves to pick up inventory. Sometimes we have to drive to specialty shops in Philadelphia and buy what’s on their shelves.”
The lengths that Zivile and her staff take are worth it when they see a customer have an emotional reaction to a specific food or drink. Zivile, Margaret and Dennis said that the most popular items are the pierogies, which differ in size and ingredients based on country of origin.
“We are a clean, friendly, well-stocked store,” said Dennis. “We build longtime customers from all over the world, traveling from Cape May just to buy bread. It’s incredible.”
If you would like to check out the Euro Shoppe, visit their website at https://euroshoppenj.com/.
