Freshgrocer won't open as scheduled

More than seven months after it was first scheduled to be complete, Freshgrocer will once again push back its opening day. According to Pat Burns, the owner and operator of the specialty supermarket at 40th and Walnut streets, construction delays have forced him to postpone the opening. He declined to give a new date or time frame for Freshgrocer's long-awaited arrival on campus. While Burns will run the store once it opens, Penn is responsible for building the site. Burns said he cannot open until the University finishes construction. Tom Lussenhop, the University's top real estate official, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Despite the construction delays, Burns said he does not blame the University. "The construction market in Philadelphia is very busy right now," Burns said. "Manpower is very tight." This marks one of several delays for Freshgrocer, which was originally scheduled to open last July. When the opening was pushed back to January 10, Lussenhop attributed it to "labor and material shortages due to the strong economy, the constant refinement of the design [and] the unique nature of the project." Many students have expressed concern that Freshgrocer's prices will be too high for their budgets. However, Burns has said the store will be "very reasonably priced." For the time being, Penn students continue to shop at Campus Market on Walnut Street and Brown's Thriftway, located at 43rd and Walnut streets. When completed, Freshgrocer will include a coffee and juice bar, a deli, indoor and outdoor seating and a music and video section to complement its supply of groceries, international foods and household goods. Penn officials maintain that the store is a critical part of its plan to revitalize the 40th Street corridor.

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