The mission statement Save A Lot has put together demonstrates a focus on customer service and responsibility. It is committed to providing high-quality food at reasonable prices in the communities it serves, not just for shoppers but employees.
Save A Lot strives to understand, invest in, and meet the needs of the communities it serves. Due to this promise, the store, located on 420 South Pulaski Road in West Garfield Park, has been shut down. This was the only grocery store left in the neighborhood. Save A Lot is renovating the location.
The goal is to improve the store so that it is safe for food storage, is clean, well lit, and free from rodents. The new owners took over the West Garfield Park store in September 2021 and closed on Feb.8, 2022. The grocery store had not been well maintained, therefore, restoration has been a process.
The walls inside the store have been torn down due to the rodent issue. Additionally, all pallets have also been removed. The new owners Michael Nance, Joseph Canfield, and Bob Sternfels report that they did not see any rodent activity on the sales floor or in the storage areas.
Nance, Canfield, and Sternfels, have scheduled a pest-control inspection monthly in all their stores to prevent another rodent problem and to maintain a healthy environment. They state this should be done in all grocery stores as a standard procedure They understand there is a food desert in West Garfield Park and are working hard to make sure the grocery store is up to par in order to properly meet the needs of the community.
Save A Lot is planning to kick off a complete remodel in April that includes new refrigeration and roof.
Nance and Canfield state they are not impressed with the condition of the store and the rodent situation present or past. They take full responsibility for changing and maintaining the issue. So expect an improved shopping experience.
The grocery store will also be taking on a new look. The new owners say they want the store to “instill a sense of pride and be a beacon of hope for the community.”
At this time, there is no date for the grand reopening of the Save A Lot in West Garfield Park.
Nance, Canfield, and Sternfels, of the Garfield Park Save A Lot, own six stores in Chicago proper. They are working with the City of Chicago, landlords, real estate property owners, and the corporate office to acquire the underlying real estate for five of these stores. It is important for them to have ownership of the sites they operate because it is an investment into the communities the store serves. All of the stores will receive a “deep rehab” inside and out.
The new stores will be cutting edge. The owners want people to be proud to shop at Save A Lot. Additionally, they are looking to purchase the Aldi that closed in October and the Save A Lot on 79th and Halstead, which was also closed, to give these areas more shopping opportunities. These Save A Lot owners want to be the go-to store for food deserts. They want to provide quality food at affordable prices by purchasing shuttered stores and reopening them later in 2022.
Save A Lot is looking to purchase areas on the South Side. Nance, Canfield, and Sternfels are starting to have conversations with shuttered stores and property owners at this time to gain proprietorship of three to four more locations in areas that are considered food deserts.
Written by Jeanette Vietti
Featured Image Courtesy of Boobie Photography Studios – Used With Permission
Inline Image Courtesy of Thomas Hawk’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
