New downtown convenience store prepares for opening

Jan. 3, 2020

The Root Cellar, a new downtown convenience store, has started construction and is asking future customers for input.

Owner Wendy Hanson said the plan is to open later this month or by early February inside The Cascade, the mixed-use project across from Falls Park West.

“We are going for an old-school bodega as they call them on the East Coast – just kind of the little neighborhood place you go when you’re getting off work,” Hanson said.

“My husband and I travel a lot, and I have a bar and restaurant, so I have quality meats and seafoods, and our neighbors do grass-fed beef, so we’re going to try and go organic and grass-fed.”

There will be a grab-and-go meat section instead of a meat counter as well as a few tables for customers who might want a glass of wine or beer while in the store.

“We’ll focus on the market part, and we want to get in some nostalgic, little old-school foods too,” Hanson said. “We’ll do salads and vegetables, and pair up with the local farms around here to offer locally grown and made products when available.”

Hanson, who also has an apartment at The Cascade, has started asking her neighbors and other downtown shoppers what they would like to see at The Root Cellar.

“We want some input as to what people’s wants and needs would be for a convenience store,” she said. “We’ll have less than 2,500 SKUs in the whole place because it’s tiny, so I want a couple of options for each little thing – whether it’s granola bars or kombucha or whatever it is – so I’m hoping we’ll get some input.”

To reach The Root Cellar and send suggestions, click here, email [email protected] or message on Facebook.

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New downtown convenience store prepares for opening

The Root Cellar, a new downtown convenience store, has started construction and is asking future customers for input.

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