New Fresh Market Location Open For Business

By Desiree Parker Thursday, July 21, 2011

 

Sometimes, bigger is better.

This is why Fresh Market Manager Rick Fariss is so excited about his new store location that opened Wednesday in Courthouse Commons, which expanded its available space by 2,500 square feet and made room for lots of new items.

“We needed more space and a more modern facility and equipment,” Fariss said at the location’s grand opening, two days after the former location closed. “This makes shopping easier, and makes it easier for employees to work.”

More importantly, this allows the store to focus on what’s most important: “Our focus is fresh items – produce, meat, deli, and bakery items. We’ve just gotten to expand it all,” he said.

For locals who were used to shopping at the old location on Jamestown Road, the new location on Monticello Avenue just east of Route 199 will feature similar items and prices, just more of them and more space to navigate between departments.

“It looks great,” said James City County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mary Jones, who stopped by for the festivities. “James City County loves the Fresh Market. They’ve been a good corporate citizen for years, and [the new location] keeps jobs here, and keeps citizens shopping here. It’s also a truly sustainable project.”

Not only does the location keep jobs in the county, it will be adding more. According to Fariss, he has hired 14 employees on top of the more than 60 folks who work there currently, and he intends to hire between three and six additional workers soon.

The location has an expanded floral and produce area located at the front, right side of the store. There is a large salad bar near the produce area that boasts an extended and separate olive and antipasto bar.

The deli has moved to a bigger area in the center of the store, and the meat and seafood areas have been expanded and are located at the rear of the building.

The left side of the store features wider grocery aisles with more items, a larger wine and beer selection and a bigger frozen food area.

Local Gail Peck visited the new location Wednesday and commented, "The new Fresh Market is a beautiful store and the customer service this morning was excellent. I was disappointed that they do not have the cafe that the Newport News store has."

When asked what effect he thought nearby specialty grocery store Trader Joe’s might have on business, Fariss said, “we are different animals, to a certain extent, but in all I think we’ll be good for each other and we’ll share customers.”

The new Fresh Market and the rest of Courthouse Commons are owned by developers New Town Six. Former planning commissioner Chris Henderson, one of the members of New Town Six, was on hand Wednesday, and shared some insights into the green development aspects of the building.

Hundreds of thousands of gallons of stormwater runoff will be collected underneath the parking lot and allowed to percolate into the ground (called direct infiltration) instead of flowing into collection ponds or the county’s stormwater system, Henderson said.

Also, the landscaping plan uses native plants that are drought tolerant, and irrigation water is supplied by 12,000-gallon cisterns that capture rainwater from the building’s roof.

“This project is an excellent example of sustainable development,” said Henderson. “The environmental control is without parallel in James City County.”

Inside the building, the Fresh Market staff was able to keep many light fixtures from the old building but retrofit them to use new 13-watt LED bulbs. Also, several skylights along the ceiling mean fewer lights are needed.

“We are thrilled the project came together,” Henderson said. “The Fresh Market is a great tenant to have and we are delighted to keep them in James City County and work with them. It is important to citizens and to customers” to keep the business in the county, he said.

The Fresh Market is open during the same hours as the previous location, Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Visit the store’s website for more information.