A new market-style store in Chatham is still in build-mode but should be open to shoppers in early 2020.
Mercato Fresh, a partnership between the owners of Mr. Meat Market and Toscana Restaurant, was slated to open in October 2019 but the opening date has been pushed back by a few months.
Marc Romualdi, co-owner of Mercato Fresh and owner of Mr. Meat Market, said at this point, their main focus is on making sure the project is "done right". However, he also mentioned, overall construction has been going well without encountering any major barriers.
"This is a $4 million build-out so it is quite complex in what is happening," he said in an email. "There is always a three to four-month time variation on any build-out project of this magnitude."
Mercato Fresh is now expected to open its doors in mid to late January.
The new store is expected to be approximately 15,000 square feet and will be located at the corner of Keil Drive North and Grand Avenue West, beside Planet Fitness.
"It's going to have a huge hot and cold food presence there, as well as sushi, and produce, as well and our own in-store bakery," he said.
Romualdi had previously said they planned to start the hiring process in September. After holding a job fair, he said they received roughly 450-500 applications.
"There [were] 50 job openings at this location that we've already filled," he said.
Although most of the hiring has been done, Romualdi said they did keep a note of some applicants in case opportunities arise in the future once the store opens its doors.
-With files from Allanah Wills