The people of downtown Pittsburgh will soon have another place to pop in for port. And it’s not a typical tasting room.
Market Street Grocery, which is slated to open in early spring, will house an in-store wine bar that is expected to serve as an evening watering hole and as a waiting area for grab-and-go meal shoppers.
“The wine bar will be a key area for customers to take in what the store has to offer and take a break from shopping, waiting for a specialty item to be prepared, or as a stop after work,” said David Priselac, co-owner of the single-unit Market Street Grocery.
“When we open, we will be the only supermarket in the downtown area selling wine by the glass as well as in bottles and cases.”
Along with the wine bar, the 2,400-square-foot store will also have a coffee bar, a deli and French baked goods. Fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats and seafood, prepared foods and a sundry of dry products, like tomato sauces, beans, pasta and canned items, will also be available there.
“Currently there is no opportunity to buy fresh produce, meats and cheese downtown, with the exception of limited product availability from pharmacies and convenience stores,” Priselac told SN. “Downtown residents, especially those not commuting out of the central business district, usually wait for the weekends to shop. This provides both workers and residents a convenient place to stop before beginning their commute home or waiting for time to make a weekend trip.”
With a plethora of prepared foods on the soon-to-open mini mart’s menu, Market Street Grocery will also likely be a popular lunch place. Most of the items carried there will be perimeter store products, he added.
After hosting nine focus groups at various downtown residential buildings, the management team opted to put produce and other fresh items up front. Dry goods will take up an area equivalent to one metro shelf to every grocery aisle in a normal store.
“Inventory will not be as deep as a large chain store, increasing the number of deliveries which will be needed to stay stocked,” said Priselac. “That will be more work on our part but should reduce the time items are on shelves. Purchases and deliveries will most likely be smaller but more frequent — increasing our staffs interaction with vendors and customers — which should allow us to quickly meet the needs of our customer.”
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