Salem's Market to sell closed Hill District grocery store to church

Salem’s Market is pursuing the sale of its closed supermarket in Pittsburgh’s Hill District to the Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh.

In an announcement this week, Salem’s said the parties signed a sales agreement on June 25 and are not making financial details of the deal public as the transaction is “still moving through due diligence and financing.

“Our priority is supporting a smooth transition while Salem’s continues to serve Pittsburgh through our Strip District and CMU Campus Markets,” a news release said.

LaKeisha Jones of Nice 2 Media Marketing & Promotions, who sent the release, said that no further comments would be made at this time.

Salem’s opened the store at 1850 Centre Ave. in February 2024 as part of the company’s growth and, it said at the time, to “help meet the pressing need for a neighborhood grocery store in the Hill District.”

That marked the end of a nearly five-year period without a grocery store in the neighborhood.

Salem’s said it supports the Macedonia Church’s goal of keeping a full-service grocery store in the building at Heldman Plaza.

“We are grateful for the opportunity we had to serve families in the Hill District during this past year, and we stand with MCOP in prayer as they carry the store forward,” Abdullah Salem, CEO of Salem’s Market, said in a news release.

“Our vision is to support a new grocer in this space to continue to provide healthy and affordable food for this community and its neighbors, and to ensure that the Hill District does not suffer the effects of so many food deserts in our country,” Macedonia Church senior pastor Brian James Edmonds said in a separate press release.

The Hill District Salem’s store closed its doors early this year, indicating that it was pausing operations — a decision made in partnership with the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Thefts were cited as one of the reasons for the pause, as was support from the community.

“The store is just too big for the niche offerings, and it is also neighborhood stuff,” store manager Ariel Ventura said at the time. “A lot of stealing has taken place.”

In this week’s announcement, Salem’s said of the Centre Avenue store, “While we were proud to serve families here, we faced operational and financial challenges that made it difficult to sustain the store. Rather than risk the community losing access to fresh food, we chose to transition the store to a local partner better positioned to carry it forward.”

Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh is located at 2225 Bedford Ave., not far from the Bedford Dwellings housing development.

Salem’s said the church’s “commitment to neighborhood development, stability and service made them the right partner to ensure that a full-service grocery store remains available to Hill District residents.”

Edmonds said his church’s community efforts have included constructing 10 single-family homes in the Hill District and awarding micro-grants totaling more than $200,000 to organizations such as the Homeless Children’s Education Fund, Hill Dance Academy Theatre and the Hill Community Development Corporation.

Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment Center, an outgrowth of the church, offers senior services, student mentoring and a Meals on Wheels program.