Salem's Market, set to open in Hill District, will fill void in neighborhood

Abdullah Salem, owner of Salem’s (Sah-Lims) Market, is preparing to open a location in the Hill District in February.

It will be his third.

He says failure is not an option in this location — they owe that to the community. He is working day and night to make sure that the market succeeds.

In between coordinating with the construction team, electricians, plumbers, painters who are sometimes working simultaneously as they push toward opening day, and taking meetings to ensure residents, like some of the senior citizens in the area, have access to his store from the side parking lot, Salem might reach for the banana in his back pocket.

Right now, that banana is possibly the only access to a fresh piece of fruit that he has in the Hill District.

That is and has been the problem for residents of the community.

“Yesterday, all I wanted was a salad for lunch, we came here super early and we were hungry we went and got chicken wings and fried fish. It’s difficult to find an apple; if you have dietary concerns you may starve,” Salem said.

Salem’s will be located in Centre Heldman Plaza in the space that was formerly home to a Shop ‘n Save that closed in March 2019 — the property has remained vacant since, leaving the neighborhood without a grocer for nearly five years. Processed food from Family Dollar and carry-out restaurants are the only food retailers in the neighborhood.

While there is no grocery store in the neighborhood, Giant Eagle offers a mobile market that comes to 2191 Bedford Ave. on Mondays from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh went through several rounds to find a new grocery store beginning in 2020 and headed by Laya Matthews, senior project manager. The URA, with the help of the Hill Community Development Corporation and the community, chose Salem’s Market out of four possible grocers.

The URA has funded much of the project, which has cost around $8 million.

“This project was so important. I am enormously grateful for this project,” said Tom Link, chief development officer at the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.

Financial support also came from donations, specifically from Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh and other local organizations.

Tyrone Meggett, 63, has lived in the Hill District since he was 6 and frequents the Salem’s in the Strip District.

“A car is really needed because … we have to go to Oakland, North Side, or North Hills,” Meggett said of grocery shopping. “(Salem’s) being right there in the middle of Centre Avenue will be great. Most people do not have a vehicle, so they are kind of stuck.”

Recently appointed Pittsburgh City Council President Daniel Lavelle said that Salem’s will address the food desert concerns and bring an economic boost to the Hill District.

Lavelle said that when he first ran for office, “The number one request of residents in the Hill was a full-service grocery store. We made an initial attempt and it was successful for a couple years. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that was the right partner for the community,” he said referencing the former Shop ‘n Save.

Lavelle believes this time will be different.

“We have the right partner, someone who believes in our community who is willing to invest in our community and provide products that I believe our community will stand behind and support,” he said.

“You should not have to get in the car or take a bus and go outside of your neighborhood to get fresh vegetables or a healthy meal,” Salem said.

Open calls to interview for a position at Salem’s in all three of its locations — Hill District, Strip District and Scotty’s Market by Salem’s at Carnegie Mellon University — are taking place every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of January.

Salem’s father, Massaud Salem, opened the first location on Atwood Street in Oakland more than 40 years ago.

“He saw … that there wasn’t access to fresh healthy food, especially in the way of halal meats, local meats, all natural meat,” Salem said of his father.

Damion Frison was in the middle of filling out a job application earlier in January. He lives within walking distance from the market and saw the job opportunity on social media. He said he applied because it will be a convenient commute to work.

“I feel like it will contribute a lot to the community as far as our needs,” he said. “I know there are a lot of older people on the Hill that might need someone to go to the store for them or need help, so I think that this being close is good.”

Alberta Hughes, 71, is in between vehicles and said taking the bus to get groceries is rough.

“The store being here will make my life so much easier, especially as the stores are not giving bags — I usually have a luggage case,” she said. “The store being in walking distance will make things more convenient. To find fresh vegetables or a tomato, we would probably have to go to South Side or East Liberty.”

Salem’s supports Ebenezer Baptist Church food pantry, Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The goal is to focus on the food security of the neighborhood, and they are hoping to partner with more organizations to create a food pantry.

“If someone needs help, we are here to help,” Salem said. “If a mom comes and says, ‘Listen I have five kids I didn’t get my check this week, what do you guys have to eat?’ Here’s five pounds of chicken, here’s some rice, here’s some oil — we got you.”

The head chef at Salem’s, Kenneth Strother — also known as as Chef Kenny — is a native of the Hill District.

Strother is assistant general manager and chef at Scotty’s Market by Salem’s and head chef at the Hill District location.

“Being from the Hill it would be good to see a grocery store that is run professionally, but it really is about the community first and foremost,” Strother said. “There’s no other grocery store that will offer the wide variety of food options that we are going to.

“The ingredients that we use will be fresh produce using local vendors, what we will house within the grocery store itself will be beneficial with the fresh meats and butcher shop,” he said.

Salem’s brands itself as an “international halal foods” space. Strother is introducing American, Southern food and soul food to the menu. Kenny said Scotty’s Market has been his test ground with the multicultural and diverse community at CMU.

Strother also hopes the market will connect the ties between the different neighborhoods like the Hill District, South Side, Oakland and Garfield.

“Minorities, especially Black and brown people and immigrants, don’t get treated well when they shop,” Salem said. “These things have happened to my family. My mom was a minority woman who wore a hijab and was treated wrongly in a lot of places. It is my personal mission to ensure that our people feel welcomed, that this is their home.”

Alisa Hughes, 56, a native of the Hill District, said her grandchildren eat fruits and vegetables daily and her granddaughter often has a banana in her hand on her way to day care.

“I don’t want to have to spend all my money buying fruit at Giant Eagle, which is so expensive, in addition to getting to the store,” she said, adding that she tries her best to keep fruits and vegetables in the house.

Buying groceries could be an hour or more bus ride from the Hill District, she said.

Carla Biaggi of the North Hills will be the store manager. She has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, coming most recently from Giant Eagle.

“This is going to be amazing. It is something that is needed,” she said.

According to Biaggi, plans are underway to implement programming, including a partnership with UPMC for cooking and nutrition classes, as well as the possible return of the Ramadan buffet.

Biaggi, a Black woman, is at the center of the hiring process.

”A lot of people are having problems with getting to a job, two buses to get to a job, there’s a large group of people from this area that are excited because they can find employment right in their neighborhood,” she said.

The store is going to have about 45 to 50 employees, a mix of full-time and part-time , according to Biaggi.

“I think people of the Hill District are going to be happy. I have some young folks with work permits that are so excited, they say, ‘I live right up the street, I won’t be late,’ ” she said.

“My hope is that we are a positive influence on the community, we did things to make a positive impact,” Salem said. “That is our goal.”