A corner storefront that has housed a Mister Softee ice cream shop and Sally's Deli is about to become home to Anthony's Italian Deli, a family-run shop planned by Barrington resident Brittany Cristinzio and her son Anthony. The pair are working to bring fresh sandwiches, prepared foods and imported Italian favorites to their hometown, with hopes of opening before the new year.
The deli is taking over a familiar corner storefront at Trenton Avenue and Gloucester Pike, about one block off Clements Bridge Road, according to 42 Freeway. Cristinzio, who is also a successful local real estate agent, has spent recent months working alongside her son through the approvals and infrastructure improvements needed to get the space ready.
Plumbing Work Nearly Done, Buildout Next
As of the outlet's reported visit, plumbing work was expected to be completed within the week, clearing the way for the contractor to move into the interior buildout. No opening date has been locked in, but the mother-son team is hoping to welcome their first customers before 2027.
Opening a deli involves more than finishing the interior: New Jersey’s retail-food rules require health-authority review and approval of plans before a space is built, converted or, when required, remodeled for food service. The plans can include the intended menu, food volume, layout and equipment. The state’s retail-food program directs restaurants and meal-prep businesses to their local health department, making food-safety review part of the path from construction to opening.
The space carries some local history. The storefront was previously a Mister Softee ice cream shop and, before that, was known as Sally's Deli. Even earlier, the corner operated as Purnell's, a name associated with the location since at least the early 1960s.
Neighbors Weigh In On What Belongs On The Menu
Cristinzio first announced the deli's plans on her personal Facebook page in July, asking residents which Italian-deli menu items and specialty products the business should carry. The response was substantial: residents posted about 130 comments in reply. Suggestions ranged from chicken cutlets and paninis to Grana Padano and other imported cheeses, and several commenters asked about gluten-free options.
Barrington’s small-town scale gives the proposed shop a distinctly local customer base: the borough had an estimated 7,155 residents in July 2025, up 1.2% from its 2020 population base. The Census Bureau’s QuickFacts profile also lists $55.5 million in total retail sales and $11.7 million in accommodation and food-services sales for 2022, offering a snapshot of the local market the new deli would enter.
A dedicated online presence for Anthony's has not yet been launched, and the business has not announced a finalized menu. Still, the groundwork laid by that July post suggests the owners have a built-in audience of neighbors already invested in what ends up behind the counter.
A Changing Corner Of Barrington
The future deli sits near other recent additions to the borough's commercial strip, including a Dollar Tree that opened in the former Rite Aid building and the approved Royal Greens mini-golf project. Those changes, paired with a new Italian deli slated for a corner with decades of food-service history, point to a steady refresh of Barrington's small-town retail footprint heading into the new year.
The deli also fits into a longer-running borough effort to retain and attract businesses. Barrington’s Economic Development Committee, formed in 1996, works with local businesses and municipal officials; its stated mission includes attracting business and maintaining a stable tax base. The borough identifies encouraging redevelopment in existing downtown commercial areas and promoting the town center as a central business district among its economic-development objectives, placing the new shop within a broader local focus on commercial activity.
