photo by Ty Smith
Students will have a new option for grocery shopping when Market Square Grocery opens this year Downtown on Market Street.
Market Street Grocery, soon to be Downtown’s only food store, sets to open its doors shortly into the spring semester.
Developer Ralph Falbo of Ralph A. Falbo, Inc. is partnering with Vallozzi’s Restaurant owners to open this European-style market by the end of February.
Soon to be located in the Thompson building outside of Market Square on Market Street, it is another attempt of a grocery store for the city. It will be the only grocery store currently available in the Downtown area. The grocery’s opening is following Rosebud Fine Food Market and Deli, which opened its doors in 2008 but failed and closed two short years later.
“I think that this is going to fulfill a great need for Downtown,” said Falbo in a phone interview Monday.
“We don’t have anything like it and the city really needs it.”
To suit the needs of such dieters, the store will offer fresh produce, meats and seafood. They will also sell imported and domestic cheeses. Along with these products, one side of the store will hold all dry foods.
“The market can absolutely help these students eat better because of the selection of products that we are offering,” Falbo said.
Serving as a speed bump in the weight loss process, the market will provide prepared food, fresh baked goods and will have a coffee and wine bar. Customers will not only be able to buy wine by the bottle, but also by the glass or even case. Beer will also be available.
Shannon McShane, a junior sports, arts and entertainment management (SAEM) major, and also an advisor of AdvoCare, has been eating healthy since her freshman year when she realized she was gaining weight. Currently living in the Boulevard Apartments, she dropped her meal plan this semester when her mother told her about the opening of Market Street Grocery.
“I do think Point Park offers healthy food for students, but sometimes it isn’t as easy access as the unhealthy food,” McShane said in her apartment Monday. “Sometimes it’s just harder to have to look a little bit more to find what you need.”
McShane said the grocery is not only something that will be easier for herself, but for other students looking to eat healthy this year. Currently, she depends on Giant Eagle in the Waterfront to buy the items she needs. Point Park runs a shuttle every Friday, so McShane relies on that.
“I think it’s pretty inconvenient to have to go out there. The one day it felt like I ended up carrying 30 pounds of groceries and it was absolutely pouring. It just turned out to be a huge mess,” McShane said.
Market Street Grocery will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., while the wine bar will operate until 11 p.m.
Kayla Kiriau, a senior human resource Management major who also lives in Boulevard Apartments, believes the market will enable her to access a variety of different foods.
“I get my groceries from Wal-Mart and Costco which is half an hour from campus, and I have to get someone to take me because it’s much cheaper than finding a store closer to the city,” Kiriau said.
Basic needs such as paper towels and toilet paper will probably not make it on the shelves because the grocery plans to focus more on basic food needs. Eventually, the store will adjust to the needs of the customers, according to Falbo in an interview for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
