Detroit Welcomes New Grocery Store
DETROIT (WWJ) - It's welcome news for residents on Detroit's east side. A new grocery store opened its doors on East Lafayette, east of I-375.
Lafayette Foods assistant manager Patty Atisha said 35 new hires are ready to go and have a hand in Detroit's comeback.
"Being part of downtown and being part of a neighborhood and ... being part of bringing Detroit back, we wanted to be part of that as a business," said Atisha.
"It's very exciting... because we really want to support Detroit. We want them to know we're here. We never left. Everybody else left, and we never left. We stayed and we supported Detroit," she said.
They are supplied by Spartan Stores and will offer fresh meat and produce, which can be hard to come by in the city. Atisha said they will also offer deli, grab-and-go meals, hot and frozen foods, plus dishes for natural and organic diets. "It's a supermarket with a little bit of everything," said Atisha.
WWJ Newsradio 950 spoke with local residents who showed up for the store's grand opening, Monday.
"It's beautiful, the lighting is beautiful, it's laid out ... everything looks clean and fresh," said Stella Harden.
"The floors are beautiful and everything's so organized. I love it," said Caroline Jackson.
Atisha said that most of the new hires are people who live in the neighborhood, although they continue to get walk-in and online applications daily. It's the fourth Metro Detroit store for Atisha's family, and the third in the city of Detroit.