Standing next to fresh produce, Abdullah Salem welcomed each shopper and community member that entered the new Salem’s Market in the Hill District with a smile.
Opening for its soft launch this morning, Salem’s new location on Centre Avenue took the place of a former Shop ‘N Save. The previous store closed in March of 2019, leaving many Hill District residents without access to a full-service grocery store for almost five years.
Salem, CEO of the family-owned market, said he felt honored and excited to serve the community by providing people with fresh food.
“It's always difficult to get a business open, but thank God the community's been supportive,” Salem said. “Everyone’s pulling together to make sure that the Hill District gets a grocery store and that Salem's [Market] expands.”
While the store is still a “work-in-progress,” according to Salem, he believes the soft launch on Thursday shows promise for a “great partnership for many years to come.” The store’s bakery and other departments are still underway for a grand opening in spring, and Salem intends for the prepared foods department to open in about a month and the deli to open within a week.
“It couldn't have been better. The community is so great, everyone's so nice and kind,” Salem said. “Everyone's excited about us being here, and we're more excited to be here than they are.”
Rep. La’Tasha Mayes of the state house’s 24th District, which includes the Hill District, visited Salem’s Market on Thursday morning to support the family business. She said despite only being a soft opening the new store, which is located down the street from her office, already has so much to offer to the community and is “almost fully operational.”
“We know that the Hill District has been a food desert for far too long and so this is one of the solutions to change that,” Mayes said. “I know that the owners of this grocery store are committed to the community, and you can see by the beautiful job they have done with their soft opening.”
Reflecting on the environment and the community response at the store, Mayes noted “a sense of joy and happiness and relief.”
“I think that this is a monumental moment for the Hill District and for what it means to bring economic and food justice to this community,” Mayes said.
Many neighborhood residents ventured into Salem’s on opening day, curious to see what the new grocery store had to offer and if it could provide some relief to the area that has long experienced a food desert.
Hill District resident Denis Kinsel visited Salem’s Market close to its opening at 8 a.m. and described the new store as “beautiful.” Kinsel noted that the store even had items she had never seen before, and picked up a bottle of sour cherry juice to try.
“It's exciting because I've had to travel for quite some time to go get the groceries, and it's really nice that it's a local place here in the neighborhood for us to shop,” Kinsel said.
Since the closing of the previous store, Kinsel said she would typically buy her groceries from a market in Bloomfield. She added that while she enjoyed going to the Bloomfield market, it’s convenient to have a new store that's closer to her with workers that are invested in the betterment of the community.
“I'm sure it's going to be a success here because I like the protocols that they have in place,” Kinsel said. “I like the fact that they have people here willing to talk with you, and that they have people in the neighborhood and in the store who’re going to protect the store, because safety is important when you're anywhere in the public.”
Tracy McCants Lewis, the chief people officer for the Pittsburgh Penguins, stopped into Salem’s to pick up some fresh fruit for her coworkers, saying she thinks having a market within walking distance from PPG Paints Arena is exciting.
“First and foremost, the community deserves this and I think it's gonna be a game changer for them to have access to fresh fruit and a full service grocery store, so this is just wonderful,” McCants Lewis said. “It's a long time coming and well-deserved.”
Mayor Ed Gainey, who visited the store a few days ahead of the opening, also came to show his support and said he hopes to see the business become a pillar for the community.
“Now the people in the Hill have somewhere that they can come and shop,” Gainey said. “I think the biggest difference and why we know this will succeed is that they actually have love in their hearts for people in the community. They have love in their heart for people in the city.”
Salem said the new grocery store will operate in tandem with its other locations in the Strip District and on CMU’s campus, as the family business continues to expand and provide fresh produce, essential goods and halal meat to Pittsburgh’s communities.
