"With the lease for these locations coming to an end, we made the decision to focus our resources on other locations." That's how Dana Ward of Albertsons, which owns Kings, explained to TAPinto why the Kings Food Market in Whitehouse Station will close no later than Jan. 2, 2027. The store opened in April 1997 and reopened in 2015 after a three-month renovation. That leaves less than three months of the old routine at 531 Route 22 East.
Readington won't be left without groceries. A full supermarket is already operating at 431 US Highway 22 East, on the same eastbound side of the highway. What a Kings shopper will have to relearn is the calendar. The stores that take over the weekly run each keep their own hours, and two of them get more limited just as winter arrives.
What Albertsons said, and what it left open
The Hunterdon Review puts the store in the Kings Shopping Plaza at 531 Route 22 East, in the Whitehouse Station section of the township. It reported that Kings runs 16 stores in New Jersey and will have 14 once this location and a second one in Hillsdale close. TAPinto reported that the two stores have 168 employees between them and that the company plans to place as many associates as possible in other stores.
The space's future is still open. According to the Hunterdon Review, Ward said Albertsons has no information on what company or type of business will move in after Kings leaves. Until a tenant is announced, plan the winter around what's already open nearby.
Weekly staples: same highway, lower street number
Bishop's Supermarket is at 431 US Highway 22 East in Whitehouse Station, the anchor of Bishop's Plaza. Its posted hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Sunday, when it closes at 6 p.m. That Sunday closing time matters most for anyone who saved the big shop for Sunday evening.
Bishop's also sells prepared foods made fresh daily for ready-to-go meals. The site also has pages for catering, an open-air market at Bishop's Plaza and the Bishop's liquor store. A Tuesday-night dinner and a bottle for the weekend can come from one parking lot, which was part of the appeal of Kings.
Here's how the main nearby options line up, using the hours each business posts online:
Need | Where | Address | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|---|
Weekly staples, prepared meals | Bishop's Supermarket | 431 US Highway 22 East, Whitehouse Station | Daily 7 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday 7 a.m.–6 p.m. |
Scratch-baked bread and pastry | Hopkins Baking Company | Bishop's Plaza, 431 US Highway 22 East | Friday 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; Tuesday–Thursday preorder pickup by appointment; closed Monday |
Farm meats, deli, prepared meals | Vacchiano Farm farmhouse store | 803 Route 202, Readington | Check before visiting |
Bison, beef, pork, eggs, dairy | Readington River Buffalo Farm farmstand | Readington | Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sunday noon–4 p.m., which may end in cold weather |
Every row runs on a different schedule, and that's the real change in the routine.
Bread runs on a weekend clock
Hopkins Baking Company shares the 431 US Highway 22 East address. The bakery points out that it is a separate business in Bishop's Plaza and not a department inside the supermarket. Its walk-in hours are Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's closed Mondays. From Tuesday through Thursday it only does preorder pickups, by appointment.
Hopkins bakes from scratch, changes its menu every six to eight weeks and takes orders by phone or email. If you want bread midweek, order ahead instead of picking up a loaf with the rest of the groceries. A menu that changes every six to eight weeks also means the holiday lineup won't be the same as the one in October.
Hopkins sits next door to Bishop's, so a Saturday morning visit can cover both bread and staples in one stop. A Sunday visit works only before 3 p.m., when the bakery closes, and Bishop's closes three hours later.
Meat and farm food move to Route 202, and winter changes the hours
For meat, Readington's farm stores fill a gap a plaza supermarket might not. Vacchiano Farm's farmhouse store at 803 Route 202 in Readington sells meats including Italian sausage, steaks and chicken, plus prepared meals, deli sandwiches and homemade and imported foods. The farm describes its outdoor picnic-ground food service as a spring, summer and fall offering, so confirm the farmhouse store's winter hours before making a special trip.
The Readington River Buffalo Farm farmstand sells bison, beef, pork, eggs, chicken, cheesecakes, pot pies, cheese and dairy. Its listing on River-Friendly Farm gives hours of Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m., and notes that the Sunday hours may end once cold weather arrives.
This is where the timing works against Kings shoppers. Kings closes by Jan. 2, and that's also when the farmstand may drop its Sunday hours. A Sunday that once covered groceries, meat and bread could get shorter on every front at once. Saturday is the one day that, on paper, covers all of these stops in full: Bishop's, Hopkins and the buffalo farm, plus Vacchiano if its winter hours allow.
For bulk buying, Whitehouse Shady Hollow Farm at 12 42nd Street in Whitehouse Station describes itself as a wholesale food supplier with a store open to the public, and it lists weekday and Saturday hours.
When the trip needs a chain store
Some lists still need a big chain store, whether for a particular brand, a pharmacy stop or a holiday-size order. The two closest options listed here are in neighboring towns. Wegmans in Bridgewater is at 724 Route 202 South, with bakery, meat, produce and seafood departments. Stop & Shop in Flemington is at 334 State Route 31 and lists produce, dairy, meat and deli departments.
Kings worked as an in-between store: close to home and good for both a quick stop and a full week's shopping. Without it, the choice is clearer. The in-town stops cover most of the week on their own schedules, and the chain stores in Bridgewater and Flemington handle what's left on the list.
A sample winter week after Kings
Here's one way to fit the posted hours into a week, using only what these businesses publish:
- Monday through Thursday: Bishop's for staples or a prepared dinner, any evening until 9 p.m. Call or email Hopkins if you want a Tuesday-through-Thursday preorder pickup.
- Friday: Hopkins walk-in hours run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., then Bishop's next door.
- Saturday: The fullest day. Hopkins opens at 8 a.m., the buffalo farm runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Bishop's is open until 9 p.m. Add Vacchiano on Route 202 if it's open.
- Sunday: Finish errands before 3 p.m. if bread is on the list. Bishop's closes at 6 p.m., and the buffalo farm's noon-to-4 window may be gone by January.
All of these hours come from the businesses' own pages. Check them again closer to January, since winter schedules can change.
Changes like a supermarket closing are part of what we follow across Readington Township, along with the questions about the Kings Shopping Plaza space that come next. If you have questions about how changes along Route 22 might affect your own plans, JLA Team is happy to talk them through. Schedule a consultation whenever it suits you.
