WARSAW — The south side of Warsaw once again has a grocery store.

Owen's Fresh Meat Market has expanded from its first location south of Leesburg to a new store south of Kincade Street on State Road 15 South. 

The soft opening began last week with many basic food items, and the company is still adding more display space and cooler space.

The store will soon feature a deli, and a grand opening is expected on July 3rd. 

Local shoppers have been clamoring for another choice on the south side since the Marsh grocery store closed nine years ago and the Owen's store closed seven years ago.

Denitriss McKenzie, who will run the store with Lisa Rector, said the initial reaction has been strong. 

"It has been phenomenal — I mean, there are so many people so excited to have a grocery store on this side of town," McKenzie said.

She said they will be working the Leesburg store to provide specific items normally available in Leesburg.

The store at 1095 Fisher Avenue (SRR  15S) is in the old Kendall Electric building.

It will be open seven days a week, including Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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WARSAW — The Warsaw Redevelopment Commission will meet Monday and consider two land agreements involving properties on Buffalo Street.

One involves the old Marsh Grocery store at the corner of Buffalo and Winona Avenue in which the city will grant permission to RAM Development a Birmingham, Ala., company that seeks to evaluate the property with the intention of selling the supermarket to a third party.

According to paperwork posted online by the city, Ram Development will have until Aug. 31, 2024, to work on the project.

The city acquired the land from Cardinal Services for $1.25 million and has turned to RAM with the hopes the company can find a grocer to acquire the property.

The other land deal the commission will consider is the property at the corner of South Buffalo and Canal streets, considered to be part of the Buffalo Street redevelopment project, which ran into trouble a year ago after the developer, Mathews LLC, unexpectedly stopped construction on residential units as well as a multi-use development.

The proposal posted online involves the city acquiring the one-story house from Eric and Rachel Seeber for no more than $44,000.

The house is surrounded by trees and vegetation and appears to have been vacant for years.

The meeting at city hall starts at 4 p.m.

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WARSAW — The city of Warsaw has acquired the old Marsh grocery store on South Buffalo.

The move is an attempt to control the future of the property which has been vacant for six years.

Mayor Joe Thallemer alluded to the possible acquisition in an interview with News Now Warsaw last week and said the intention is to see a grocery once again use the property.

The redevelopment commission approved plans to acquire the property from Cardinal Services for $1,250,000, which is below the average of two appraisals sought by the city, according to Community Economic Development Director Jeremy Skinner who addressed the issue Monday before the redevelopment commission.

Furthermore, the city has reached an agreement with Ram Development Partners of Alabama to try to develop the property over the next 12 months.

RAM is the same company hired earlier this year by the city to study the city’s retail environment.’

Thallemer said last week the city’s intentions are pretty clear.

"Let’s be honest, We’re still looking for a grocery store. And it that wouldn’t be a grocery store, I don’t know what would,” Thallamer said last week.

Officials were beginning to worry about what might end up occupying the property.

"The property was starting to get to the point that it might have been appealing to someone to do something that maybe we didn't think was in the best interest in the community," Thallemer said.

Marsh closed six years ago when the company ran into financial difficulties.

Two years later, the Owen’s grocery store a few blocks away, closed, leaving residents on the west side and south sides without a convenient grocery store.

Cardinal acquired the land several years ago with plans to relocate from its Winona Avenue facility but gave up on those plans several years ago.

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