It's What's On The Inside That Counts

A first look at what's in store at Forty Acres Fresh Market

We know. Getting this store open is taking longer than you were promised. It seems like every year since 2021 you were told that "this is the year" that Forty Acres Fresh Market would open, only for December to turn to January with a store no closer to opening.

There were those few months from February to May in 2022 when the building was open for Soul City Community Market.

And while the market was fun and the pre-opening facelift was a modest cosmetic improvement over this...

Original building east side in 2020

View of western half of the building in 2020. Notice the low transfer duct, drop ceilings, and shoring to hold up the roof

Original building entrance in 2020

... a fresh coat of paint and string lights were not enough to compensate for the leaking roof, lack of natural light, inadequate plumbing, spotty electricity, and non functional HVAC system.

If we were going to transform this building into a grocery store it was going to take more than superficial improvements to do it right. It required a gut rehab to create an entirely new building.

After more than a year of design and another year of permit purgatory, construction on the Forty Acres Fresh Market store commenced in September 2023.

Fences Up! Construction mobilization September 2023

Over the last few months we have brought you behind the scenes of the construction process. We showed you the early stages of the loading dock addition. A couple of weeks ago we took you on a tour of the interior construction work, pointing out what all of the metal framing would eventually become. Just this week we went live on Instagram (if you are not following us on IG at this point, what are you doing with your life?) to capture the trench work happening on site.

Each time you see the rehab in progress we tell you, "This is going to be the produce department," and "Here is where prepared food will be." But to follow the advice of creative writing teachers everywhere, it is better to show than tell.

In 2021 we showed you the exterior store design. In case you forgot, this:

is going to become this

And today, in celebration of our sixth birthday you no longer have to imagine what is on the inside. Shopping in this building will go from looking like this:

to this!

Produce Department

Meat, grab and go, and cold beer & wine

Butcher, Prepared Foods, and Refrigerated Groceries

The nutrition desk, customer service, grocery, and a peek at frozen foods

Finish your shopping at the registers, bar seating, sampling cart, and last minute treats

We are so excited to bring this space to life for you. Our promise: to continue to share this process until the day the store opens and beyond. And we are crossing our fingers, toes, and everything we can in the hopes that this year of our Lord 2024 is the year this store opens its doors. Which department are you most excited for? What do you want to know about the store? Are you already shopping with us? Hit the comments and tell us what you think!