'We are heartbroken': Less than four years after opening, Sickles shuts Red Bank grocery

RED BANK - Open for nearly four years, Sickles Market, a centerpiece in Red Bank's west side, is closing its doors for good.

The Sickles family, which opened the Monmouth Street specialty food market in August 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, announced the store's closure effective 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Bottles by Sickles, which is next door, and Sickles Market, its flagship store in Little Silver, remains open. Booskerdoo Coffee & Baking Co., which has a space inside the Red Bank store, will remain open as well.

It was a "very difficult decision," the family said.

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"To say we are heartbroken does not quite cover it," the store's Instagram post Thursday. "We opened our operations in Red Bank in August 2020 and four years later, the repercussions of the pandemic never allowed us to fully turn this location into what we had dreamed.

"Sometimes you have to take a step back in order to move forward. This is the step we are taking to do just that."

Sickles is the anchor tenant in the Anderson Building, a redeveloped warehouse at the corner of Monmouth Street and Bridge Avenue.

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Besides Sickles and Bottles by Sickles, other businesses at the Anderson Building, include hair salon Lambs & Wolves, Red Rabbit Aesthetics, a medical spa, and Open Heart Yoga.

"While we are disappointed that the Sickles decided to close, we truly believe the best is ahead of us," said Chris Cole, managing partner of Metrovation, the Anderson Building's owner. "We are already out talking to several users that I think will activate and energize the first floor in a way that will be additive to the energy already in the building and further activate the neighborhood."

Owner Bob Sickles has described the store as a "Chelsea market" concept. The 8,000-square-foot store sold gourmet grocery, fine cheese, bakery, fresh produce (including locally-sourced items), meat and seafood. It also has a delicatessen and prepared food and a small café. Sickles could not be reached for further comment Thursday.

"We continue to learn and grow everyday as a family and a business," the Sickles family said. "We have watched your shopping needs change over the past four years and we will do our best to keep going strong as we build on a foundation that has been here since 1908."

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 25 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Sickles Market shutting Red Bank NJ grocery