Shop 'n Save Grocery Store Opens In Hill District
HILL DISTRICT (KDKA) - A Shop 'n Save is officially open in the Hill District.
The brand new store opened its doors at 7 a.m. and instantly, there was a crowd. People in the community said they've been waiting for a store just like this for decades.
Lorraine Jackson-Berry was overwhelmed as she stepped into the new store.
She was raised in the Hill District and now lives just steps away from the store. She said this has been a long-time coming.
"Oh, I could come here every day and just cook fresh, everything. The store is wonderful. It's going to help the community and the surrounding community and that's all we've been talking about. God has blessed us," Jackson-Berry said.
The store is complete with everything from fresh produce to a deli and a bakery. It is more than 29,000 square-feet and is located along Centre Avenue.
"We're very positive. The community is very positive and from what we hear, they will be very supportive," Shop 'n Save Owner Jeff Ross said.
The store will also help to support the community in terms of jobs.
More than 120 employees have already been hired and 95 percent are minorities.
"What does that do for a community this small? That's a lot of folks and most of them are Hill based, 65 percent of them are in the 15219 area code, so economically, that impact is going to be pretty amazing," Cheryl Hall-Russell of the Hill House Association said.
In addition, there will be health and wellness benefits.
"To have fresh food means improved health. When you have to buy foods with a lot of sodium, that's going to last for two weeks because you don't know when you are going to get back to the grocery store. This signals decrease in blood-pressure issues and diabetes, and so that's pretty massive," Hall-Russell said.
RELATED LINKS
More Local News
More Hill District News
More Reports From Sarah Arbogast
