Print

The Market At Hartford 21 To Reopen Tuesday After Fixes

Repairing Refrigeration Problems, Store Also Fine-Tunes Offerings

By Kenneth R. Gosselin

July 30, 2011

When The Market at Hartford 21 temporarily closed a week ago after problems with the refrigeration system, it was a headache that the 4-month-old downtown Hartford grocer didn't need: spoiled inventory amounted to $35,000, not to mention lost sales.

But owners Ryan and Kelleanne Jones took the opportunity to make some changes for when the Asylum Street grocer reopens Tuesday, especially how to get customers in and out of the store more quickly.

One improvement will be an express line with prepackaged salads and sandwiches. Customers will still be able to get custom salads and sandwiches, but some customers have told the Joneses that waits in line are sometimes too long for short lunch hours, said Allyson Emhoff, a spokeswoman for the Joneses.

The store was designed and set up by landlord Northland Investment Corp. and emphasizes personalized service. The Joneses had to work within those constraints when they opened the store in March. Now, for instance, an employee must put together salads from an array of choices in a refrigerated case. The express line is a way of addressing the needs of customers who don't have time to do that.

"We're trying to make it more convenient, quicker," Emhoff said.

The market also will add two services aimed at the lunchtime crowd: a baked-potato bar and a fresh pasta station. Those offerings will only be available Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Joneses also have added a chef's cooking station for demonstrations and cooking classes. The station will be used for handing out samples of new products that the store will be offering.

The cooking station will occupy a portion of the store once devoted solely to the butcher's station. The store will still offer butcher services, but there will be more prepackaged cuts of meats, which the majority of customers appear to favor.

The store's hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.