The recent closure of the Manchester Market means that the local committee looking for a new grocery store is hard at work, receiving input from the community and reaching out to bring potential grocers to Manchester.

Since the Manchester Market closed last month, most local residents are finding new ways to shop for their groceries. But efforts to bring a new grocery store to the community are ongoing and the committee composed of DDA and Manchester Area Chamber members is hard at work to determine its next course of action.

“We have been collecting community input on preferences,” says Ray Berg, who is spearheading the committee. This input has come in the form of direct emails, letters to the editor, and verbal feedback. The committee is learning more about the type of stores that might be desired, why a certain type of store would or not work, and past experiences with food stores where people have lived outside Manchester, etc. “We’re also researching the different chains as to the size and types of model grocery stores they operate,” Berg continued.

In response to this input, the committee is preparing what they are terming a “pitch paper” – a supporting document to be filed with an application to be considered for a market.

“The paper contains demographic, income, and grocery spending data for the Manchester food market target area as developed by the Gibbs Retail Study, to demonstrate the expected revenue and traffic flow a market in Manchester can generate,” Berg adds. “We’ve also included community feedback summarized as a table of needs; expected sources and routes of traffic flow into the market–whether it is residents coming from their homes, residents returning from work, or nearby employers and restaurants purchasing food supplies–and the existing situation with the sudden closure of the Manchester Market.”

The paper will also list available properties (current Manchester Market site, vacant parcels within the village–both on and off M-52, and vacant parcels on M-52 near the village limits. It also will include economic/planning assistance and potential incentives for working with the Michigan Economic Development Commission (MEDC) and village government.

Berg said that the committee intends to initially approach Kroger and Meijer for their “small scale, food desert” grocery model, along with possibly one or two others.

“I think Kroger will be our first attempt, using their Milan store remodel which opened in January as the model for what we need and can support,” he said. “We will soon schedule a visit to the Milan Kroger and initiate a discussion with them on their model.”

The committee intends to update the Mirror with additional information when feedback from potential grocers becomes available. To contact the committee, you may call Berg at 248-765-9324, or email rayberg@att.net.