Community Supermarket in Harrison sets closing date
Harrison has about two months left with a grocery store in the heart of town.
George Sears, general manager of Community Supermarket, said the store will tentatively close Oct. 31. It has operated at Heights Plaza since 2002.
“It could be a week earlier, depending on how things go,” he said.
Store owners announced the shutdown last month, leaving shoppers frustrated and wondering what might fill the space.
Richard Lubkin, asset manager for plaza owners Benbrooke Development, said there’s nothing new to report in the company’s search for a replacement tenant.
The company is seeking a grocery store, especially to accommodate residents without transportation who relied on Community Supermarket for access to fresh food.
The longer a town goes without a grocery store within walking distance, the more it can negatively impact health, well-being and the economy, according to Laura Strange, communications officer for the National Grocers Association.
Reliable access to fresh food can affect how people eat and can also attract other businesses, she said.
Lubkin earlier this year said Benbrooke wants to revitalize the 70-year-old shopping center and draw new businesses and a restaurant.
Plans include demolishing the eyesore that is the northern end of the plaza where at least 10 storefronts sit vacant. The company seeks to build a hi-rise apartment complex.
Just beyond that section sits the Harrison Hi-Rise and Sheldon Park, both of which are run by the Allegheny County Housing Authority.
It’s unclear whether the housing authority plans to help with efforts to secure a grocery store. Executive Director Richard Stephenson did not return TribLive calls seeking comment.
Sears said the 30 employees at Community Supermarket will not be left without jobs.
So far, about half of the staff has accepted the company’s offer to relocate to one of its other locations in Lower Burrell, Penn Hills or Bloomfield. They also have the option to work at the company-owned Giant Eagle in Verona, Sears said.
“We have a little bit of people going everywhere,” he said.
The rest of the employees haven’t notified management of a decision.
“There isn’t a maximum number of people for any one store, but we can spread everyone around if they’re willing to go,” he said.
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.