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The Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly With His Song” played over the hum of refrigerators in Syracuse Cooperative Market’s new location at Salt City Market. Shelves were stocked with organic and non-organic produce, with labels boasting sales — Fuji apples for $1.99 a pound and four cucumbers for $3 — scattered across food and home products.

The market carries local products such as Ithaca Milk yogurt and Byrne Dairy, along with familiar brands like Annie’s, Kettle Brand potato chips and Talenti gelato. Marketing manager Jen Eldridge said the co-op is planning to add a prepared food section with items like sandwiches in the future.

The co-op has sought an expansion since the ‘80s, but this is the first new location since the market opened in the Westcott neighborhood 49 years ago, said general manager Jeremy DeChario. The Salt City Market location opened on Wednesday after three weeks of 13-hour days to prepare the space. The market is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“We’ve got one, two, three generations (of) families that have been shopping at the co-op for their entire lives at this point,” DeChario said. “Their grandparents started it, and they’re still shopping.”

Brandi Sollars and her 3-year-old son Sebastian stumbled into the new location on its opening day, after going to visit Salt City Market for the first time. While Sollars combed through the aisles, Sebastian followed closely behind her, playing with his Transformer toy.

Troysheya McDonald, one of the co-op’s head cashiers, is glad the market carries seaweed, one of her daughter’s favorite snacks. Young-Bin Lee | Staff Photographer

Although she forgot Wednesday was opening day, Sollars is no stranger to the co-op, having worked with them for two years about a decade ago. The new location brings a sense of community and promotes eating well, plant-based diets and taking care of one another, she said.

“I have big love for the community and co-op in general, so I think it’s amazing,” Sollars said. “There are so many different options, and I think it’s perfect for this location.”

The co-op’s new location is the only full-service grocery store in downtown Syracuse, an area that has seen significant population growth recently.

Sara Tong-Ngork, the owner of Firecracker Thai Kitchen at Salt City Market, said downtown has gone so long without a real grocery store. Providing access to fresh healthy food is particularly important, she said.

The grocery store runs on a membership program, which is a one-time investment of $100 for regular members and $50 for students and seniors. The membership is a refundable investment so customers can take their money out at any time if they no longer want to contribute to the market. While co-op members get occasional special discounts and perks, anyone can shop at the store.

Brandi Sollars and her son Sebastian went through the market’s aisles for its opening day. Young-Bin Lee | Staff Photographer

The new co-op is located adjacent to Syracuse’s Southside and Westside neighborhoods and the Centro bus hub, which allows people to get to and from the grocery store with ease.

“Sometimes people can’t make it to the grocery store,” said Troysheya McDonald, one of the co-op’s head cashiers. “And this being right here is really convenient for those that are on public transportation and walking.”

McDonald’s daughter loves edible seaweed, and even though she thinks it’s an interesting choice for the 11-year-old, she’s glad that the market carries the product along with other healthy options she can bring home to her family.

Alexandra Muraca, an employee at Firecracker Thai Kitchen, browsed the specialty cheese and meat section at the market with Tong-Ngork. She’s hopeful that the co-op will bring people into the food stands of Salt City Market.

“I hope we’re slammed all summer,” she said. “I hope people come down and enjoy it and that we start to appreciate our city.”

Published on April 14, 2021 at 9:44 pm

Contact Sydney: sabergan@syr.edu