TOMS RIVER, N.J. — If you grew up in Silverton, chances are you’ve watched nearly every neighborhood landmark change.
The old Silverton Post Office inside Silverton Hardware is long gone. Burger Chef disappeared decades ago. Pizza Clown became a memory. Rands Camera stopped renting VHS tapes as the video store era faded away. Phil’s Liquor Locker Lounge closed. Even The Hub eventually became Rivoli’s Silverton Hub.
Every generation seemed to bring another retail trend. First came video stores. Then pizzerias multiplied across town. Bagel shops followed. Today, Mexican restaurants have become some of the area’s fastest-growing businesses.
Through all of those changes, one neighborhood institution never left.
Lenny’s Silverton Market.
Now, more than 60 years after opening its doors on Hooper Avenue, the family-owned market has received statewide recognition after earning the title of New Jersey’s best sandwich, adding another chapter to one of Ocean County’s longest-running local success stories.
Toms River Mayor Dan Rodrick congratulated the family on their most recent award.
Mayor Rodrick said, “Not only does Lenny’s build the best sandwich in the State of New Jersey, they also employ over 50 residents at the Toms River store alone; nearly 200 across three locations. It’s small businesses like Adam’s that drive our local economy. These businesses are the engine of growth in the United States of America, creating 60% of all new jobs. Thank you, Adam and the entire Arms Family”
Mayor Rodrick said Lenny’s has fed generations of residents, and if you’re in the area, you should stop in for yourself and see if their sandwiches live up to the honor, firsthand.
A Silverton institution since 1965
Lenny’s Silverton Market traces its roots to 1965, when Leonard “Lenny” Arms opened the neighborhood market while also establishing Lenny’s Famous Colonial Ranch Market in Point Pleasant.
Working alongside his wife Mary and later his sons Darren and Adam, Arms built a reputation centered on quality meats, homemade prepared foods, Italian specialties, and sandwiches that became a destination for customers far beyond Toms River.
While some businesses chased trends, Lenny’s focused on consistency.
That philosophy has kept customers returning for generations.
Today, grandparents who once visited Lenny’s as children now bring grandchildren through the same front door.
More than just a deli
Long before supermarkets expanded gourmet prepared foods and specialty sandwich counters, Lenny’s was already doing it. Sure, we had A&P and Grand Union, but it seems like neither compared to Lenny’s.
Fresh-cut meats, homemade sausage, specialty salads, premium cold cuts, hand-prepared sandwiches, and a full-service butcher counter helped establish the market as a neighborhood gathering place as much as a grocery store.
For many Silverton families, stopping at Lenny’s became part of everyday life.
Birthday parties.
Summer cookouts.
Sunday dinners.
Holiday catering.
The market became woven into the routines of thousands of Ocean County residents.
Silverton changed. Lenny’s didn’t.
Few neighborhoods in Ocean County have transformed as dramatically as Silverton.
Traffic along Hooper Avenue has exploded.
Shopping centers replaced vacant lots.
National chains arrived, expanded, and disappeared.
Restaurants constantly changed ownership and concepts.
Yet stepping inside Lenny’s still feels remarkably familiar, despite a major renovation to the interior years ago.
Customers are greeted by display cases filled with fresh meats, prepared foods, sandwiches, and many of the same family recipes that built the market’s reputation decades ago.
That’s increasingly rare in a retail landscape dominated by national grocery chains and corporate convenience stores.
A legacy beyond the market
Leonard Arms’ influence extended well beyond the grocery business.
He later served as both mayor and councilman in Point Pleasant while remaining active in community organizations, schools, churches, and charitable causes throughout Ocean County.
Following his death in 2014, the family’s next generation continued operating the businesses, preserving a tradition that has now lasted more than six decades.
The statewide recognition for one of Lenny’s signature sandwiches is more than an award for good food.
For many longtime residents, it’s recognition of a business that has remained part of Silverton’s identity while nearly everything around it evolved.
Still serving the neighborhood after six decades
Independent neighborhood butcher markets have become increasingly uncommon across New Jersey.
Many disappeared as supermarkets expanded or as family-owned businesses closed after retirement.
Lenny’s survived every one of those industry changes.
The market has outlasted retail booms, changing food trends, economic downturns, and dramatic population growth in Toms River.
For longtime Silverton residents, that may be just as impressive as winning New Jersey’s best sandwich.
- Lenny’s Silverton Market has served Toms River since 1965.
- The family-owned market recently earned recognition for New Jersey’s best sandwich.
- Founder Leonard Arms also served as mayor and councilman in Point Pleasant.
- Lenny’s has remained family-operated for more than six decades.
- The market is one of the oldest continuously operating independent food businesses in the Silverton section of Toms River.
- When did Lenny’s Silverton Market open?
- Historical records and Leonard Arms’ obituary indicate the market opened in 1965.
- Who founded Lenny’s?
- Leonard “Lenny” Arms founded the market with his wife, Mary.
- Why is Lenny’s considered historic?
- It has continuously operated for more than 60 years while many neighboring businesses have come and gone.
- What is Lenny’s known for?
- Fresh butcher meats, deli products, prepared foods, catering, and award-winning sandwiches.
Sources: Lenny’s Silverton Market, Township of Toms River, Mayor Daniel T. Rodrick
