Business was brisk Friday morning for the grand opening of the Price Saver Fruit, Vegetable & Flower Market at the northeast corner of Kingston Rd. and Warden Ave., in the old TD Canada Trust building.
It’s been decades since a proper fruit and vegetable store was located within walking distance for most Birch Cliff residents and a steady stream of customers poured into the new store to check out the selection of produce and flowers.
“I think it’s great. There used to be a grocery store here that disappeared a long time ago and it’s really good to see something in the neighbourhood,” said Bev Jones who stopped in before picking up her granddaughter from school.
The store is selling a wide array of fruits, vegetables and herbs as well as well as many types of staples and packaged goods such as sugar, salt, oil, spices, noodles, beans and tuna.
“It all seems nice and fresh,” said Susan Strata, who was one of the first customers in the store. “The prices are reasonable. It seems comparable or better than the grocery stores.”
Strata thinks the store will improve the neighbourhood by getting people out of their cars and encouraging walkability.
“I’ve been looking forward to this place opening up for a long time. I always hoped for something like this in the neighbourhood so that you can go for a walk, you can go for a bike ride and you can go shopping. And we have some nice stores to go to.”
Susan Strata (left) and Christine Lam
Christine Lam, who owns the store with her parents Frank and Kim, was so busy this morning she could barely get out from behind the cash. The family renovated the store themselves, which was a lot of work.
“I wanted it to be warm and welcoming. It’s nice, it’s simple, it’s clean. I have great hopes,” Lam said. “I’m also thankful that we could open before the holidays and before winter so we can still get some local produce that is still available that is not greenhouse.”
The Lam family also owns and operates another fruit and vegetable store at Cliffcrest Plaza at Kingston Rd. and McCowan Rd. and they know how to keep things fresh through Frank’s daily 5am visits the Ontario Food Terminal.
In addition, the store has a variety of flowers and plants for sale, including prepackaged bouquets and five racks of potted ornamental kale and cabbage plants, just in time to add some fall colour to your house, both inside and out.
Price Saver Fruit, Vegetable & Flower Market is open 9am – 9pm on weekdays, 9am – 7pm on Saturdays and 10am – 6pm on Sundays.
To see more photos please scroll down.
Ornamental kale and ornamental cabbage.
I would love to get the Birch Cliff News on line. A friend sometimes sends me her copy on line. As a very elderly resident, I am able to read and study the stories as I can make the print more readable for me. Thank you, Betty Rowe.