{image1}If you live in any one of the neighborhoods in the greater downtown area, chances are you've had a tougher time grocery shopping in the past several months. When the Kohl's, 1123 N. Van Buren St., closed it diverted not only shoppers but car traffic into the horrendous parking lot at the nearby Gold's Pick 'n Save.
With new restaurants like Vivo and the always busy Einstein's, Starbucks and Chipotle also using the poorly planned lot, shopping at Gold's has become more painful than pleasant lately. Lack of competition and increased volume has also negatively affected the store itself, too, in the eyes of this shopper.
However, Roundy's opens a one-of-a-kind Metro Market in the old Kohl's space on Tuesday, Aug. 17. Word is that other grocers are also looking at downtown, including the Third Ward and the area around the Shops of Grand Avenue. Watch the new Scoops section of OMC for more on that later.
What are shoppers in store for at the new Pick 'n Save Metro Market? This doesn't sound like your mother's Pick 'n Save. No, this is a new concept store for Roundy's.
"This is going to be a bold, dynamic store like metro Milwaukee has never seen," said Bob Mariano, Roundy's Chairman and CEO. "As Downtown Milwaukee continues to grow and evolve, it's time for the traditional supermarket to grow and evolve along with it. The new Metro Market reflects Downtown Milwaukee's sense of urban excitement, while placing a sharp focus on customers who live and work in the city."
The new location seems to strive for a feel closer to an old corner grocer rather than a big chain store. But, of course, there are small store options nearby in places like Aveni's and Glorioso's, among others.
{image2}But, this "Metro Market" store is all about perishables with both sidewalls of the new store consisting of service departments and produce filling the space between. A broad selection of natural and organic foods and products will be placed alongside regular grocery items. And there will even be a selection of new-age drinks, including, Boza Energy Drink, Tynant Spring Water and Inko's Tea.
Metro Market will also offer the area's largest fresh seafood counter, featuring more than 40 varieties of fresh fish and seafood daily, live lobsters, savory Dungeness crab and convenience products such as flavorful crab cakes, tasty shrimp and seafood kabobs, stuffed fish filets and more. The seafood staff will filet whole fish to order, prepare seafood with specialty rubs and special-recipe marinades or steam it for free. All seafood orders will be wrapped in plastic, then placed inside a bag of ice for maximum protection and freshness.
Besides fish, you'll find meat, deli, bakery and produce. The new store also includes coffee and wine departments, as well as an extensive list of freshly delivered directly to the store items.
The store will feature at least 650 varieties of fresh produce daily, including 25 varieties of ripe red, yellow and green tomatoes, 25 varieties of fresh and dried mushrooms and a kaleidoscope of potatoes in all shapes, sizes and colors. There will be 110 varieties of farm-fresh organic fruits and vegetables, the largest selection of organic produce in metro Milwaukee.
The produce garden also will feature a large assortment of fragrant, potted herbs and a juice bar for fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices and custom-order smoothies. Whenever possible, produce will be locally grown, with several daily deliveries of just-picked sweet corn in season.
In keeping with the times, there's also a Wi-Fi (Short for wireless fidelity meaning you can access the Internet from your laptop or PDA if you have the right gear) café for out-of-home OnMilwaukee.com reading.
Metro Market's Delicatessen will offer breakfast and lunch, as well as pre-prepared dinners and side dishes.
"We've worked hard to make the Metro Market Delicatessen an enjoyable place to meet friends over a cup of coffee, hold a productive business lunch or enjoy a leisurely dinner," Mariano said. "Our café features a fireplace and plasma screen TV. We'll have morning newspapers from all over the country, and WiFi technology so customers can surf the Internet or check their e-mail as they dine."
Gone is the Kohl's look and installed is a fresh but simple décor that still needs a lot of work to make the opening day deadline.
Metro Market also will feature the latest in supermarket technology, including a new convenient way to pay, "Pay by Touch," a service that allows customers to pay for purchases by using a secure method of finger scanning, eliminating the need to carry cards, checks or cash.
Other technological advances include self-serve scales in the produce department, a mobile cash register and "line buster" hand-held scanners that reduce time in the checkout line. In addition, all store staff will have cellular phones and headsets to make in-store communication easier and more efficient. It will include a bank and in-store pharmacy and will employ approximately 275 people.
Metro Market will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
A "Downtown Block Party" to celebrate Metro Market's Milwaukee debut will be held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16.
Crazy Man's Basement will provide the music, and a special Downtown balloon release will include CEO Bob Mariano, Gov. Jim Doyle, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager and other local dignitaries. We hope that all leave their partisan politics at home and cheer the opening of what should be a great, new store for Milwaukee.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
