A new grocery store is now open in Troy — aimed at addressing what officials call a lack of access to affordable, healthy foods.
The Bargain Grocery, located in a former factory building on River Street, is a project of Compassion Coalition. The religious non-profit has a mission of addressing food insecurity.
Just north of the Collar City Bridge and a block away from the Hudson River, big glass windows let light through brick arches into a modern store, its open space full of pallets of food and cold cases with meat and cheese. Tomatoes sit next to avocadoes in the middle, bringing guacamole to mind. There are household supplies too, like vitamins and coffee pots.
At an opening ceremony Friday, Mayor Carmella Mantello said the new store will be vital to the North Central neighborhood.
“This area right here is a food desert. Folks had to either drive up to Market 32 or Hannaford in the ‘Burgh miles away, and some people don't have transportation. So picture going grocery shopping when you have to ride a bus, transportation or bike,” Mantello said.
Backing up Mantello’s claims, a full line of customers of all stripes, ranging from moms with kids to older folks, was waiting inside for the official 10:30 opening.
Compassion Coalition’s Board Chairman Ryan Barone agrees with the first-term Republican.
“A lot of the inhabitants of the geography of a food desert only have access to what you would consider a corner store or a gas station diet, and for young, developing kids and minds, a lot of times, that diet doesn't support a healthy lifestyle,” Barone said.
He adds it can become a self-perpetuating cycle.
“When you put a grocery store in, you have to buy the land, and then you have to have people that will pay a high price for that the groceries in order to generate a profit margin. These economically depressed areas are not the most attractive economic model for a Price Chopper, or a Hannaford or even a Walmart,” Barone said.
The company that once called the factory home, Miller, Hall, and Hartwell, made boxes for the collar factory across the street. New York state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation’s Historic Sites Coordinator Sloane Bullough says the space is being returned to its hard-working roots.
“It just reminds me of the people, the immigrants who came here and tried to find work, and many Irish immigrant females worked here; they were highly skilled, and that's why this industry, the collar and cuff industry, was world renowned,” Bullough said.
The new store accepts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, funds. Kelly Young, Director of Agricultural Development with the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, says that’s crucial.
“Not only are you feeding your community, you're combating hunger, and you're making sure good food can be served to families at a reasonable price, because you are offering your community here the chance to utilize their SNAP benefits. You're making sure you have a space that can truly stretch the buying power and fill up our families with nutritious food,” Young said.
Paster Mike Servello Sr. founded Redeemer Church and is the founder and CEO of Compassion Coalition. He says Bargain Grocery aims to reduce food waste. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, between 30 and 40 percent of food in the U.S. currently goes to the trash.
“You're going to see people have access to healthy food at cost below Walmart. That's unheard of; nowhere in America is this going on. We're going to do it here. We want to preserve dignity so people can shop in their neighborhood with respect and not be given a handout, but buy what they want with their own money, and affordable,” Servello said.
Sarah Coonrad and her kids Sophia, Ezekiel, and David came to opening day. She says the store is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
“We have actually been shopping in Utica for the last four years, taking a trip out once a month, and we have been looking forward to opening day here in Troy, because we live off the street,” Coonrad said.
She adds, as a homeschooling mom of three, cost is key.
“One of the awesomest things about Bargain Grocery is I can give my children the freedom to pick whatever food they want, because we can afford it,” Coonrad said.
So of course, the kids got themselves treats.
“I got a lemon meringue pie flip Chobani yogurt,” Sophia said, while Ezekiel liked the cookies and cream one.
“I got these that're really yummy,” Ezekiel said.
David got the French toast yogurt.
“This is the best thing in the whole world!” he exclaimed.
Compassion Coalition also operates a Bargain Grocery in Utica.
