ST. LOUIS — Grocery store Fresh Thyme Market will open its new concept store Wednesday at City Foundry STL, giving the company a new flagship location and bringing a grocery store to Midtown. Here are five things to know about the new store.
1. It's one of a kind among Fresh Thyme's stores.
Chicago-based Fresh Thyme has 70 stores in 10 states throughout the Midwest, including six other stores on both sides of the river across the St. Louis region. But the new City Foundry STL store, at 3701 Foundry Way, will be the company’s first “Market” concept store with a full-service cafe and the company’s first self-checkouts.
2. The store will focus on fresh, local food products, while spotlighting Black women-owned businesses and charitable efforts.
Fresh Thyme said that the 27,000-square-foot flagship store will focus on fresh, local, natural and organic food, along with more than 1,000 local artisan items and products from local, Black women-owned businesses. Artisans with products at the store include Bridge Bread, Prioritized Pastries, Field to Fire, Patty’s Cheesecakes (which has a location inside The Food Hall at City Foundry) and DEMIblue Natural Nails.
The company commissioned local artist Grace McCammond to paint a mural of fresh produce on the outside of the building, facing Forest Park. The store is also partnering with the St. Louis Food Bank School Market Program, which provides an accessible source of food to students and families.
3. This will be Midtown's only grocery store.
Midtown currently does not have any other grocery stores, so the opening of Fresh Thyme is a welcome addition around the Saint Louis University campus, SLU Chief Financial Officer David Heimburger said.
"It’s incredibly impressive," Heimburger said of the Fresh Thyme space. "There’s nothing in and around the area as far as grocery stores."
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