Mich Ankney is excited at the prospect of grocery shopping in his Natrona neighborhood.
It’s something he’s never been able to do.
“We’ve had a few little candy stores that sold basics, like eggs and diapers,” said Ankney, 21. “But it was more like what they’d have at a gas station. Having an actual grocery store could reshape the community.”
Murrysville developer Cameron Yockey and his partner, Brianna Thorpe, plan to open three small markets in Tarentum, New Kensington and the Natrona neighborhood of Harrison.
Each location is considered a food desert, which means families have limited access to affordable or nutritious foods, as defined by the National Institutes of Health. In some cases, people have only convenience stores from which to choose high-calorie, low-nutrient food, such as chips and frozen dinners.
Ebanae Gilmore, Healthy Food Center manager at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison, said “without a doubt” the markets will have a positive impact for all three communities.
Allegheny Health Network, the parent of Allegheny Valley Hospital, has Healthy Food Centers at six health care facilities. They provide free veggies, meats and grains and offer education to residents.
“We understand that having a lack of nutrient-dense food correlates to having poor health,” said Gilmore. “Research shows you’ll have an increase in diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity. And, because mental health is directly related to gut health, it’s a loop of disparity.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 47 million people across the country lack access to fresh food. That includes about 14 million children.
In 2023, 13.5% of households were food insecure, according to the USDA website.
The stores being launched by Yockey and Thorpe are called Horizon Market.
The New Kensington site is at 912 Seventh St., just next to the BP gas station, in the former Molnor Antiques space.
The Tarentum store is at 328 E. Sixth Ave. in the building where Asay’s News Stand has operated for many years. The Natrona location will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We’ll be up and running in Tarentum in May,” said Yockey, who is owner of Realty One Group in Harrison. “This is 100% the most requested business that we’ve heard in these communities, by a mile.”
The stores are expected to be “small but mighty,” he said, offering a range of products to stock a household. There will be bread, milk, produce, deli meats, paper products, toiletries, prepackaged foods, coffee and small lines of cosmetics and tobacco.
“We want to keep affordability at the forefront,” Yockey said. “It won’t be a massive footprint, but somebody can definitely go in and get supplies for their whole house.”
New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo welcomes a grocery store near downtown.
“There is a need,” Guzzo said. “We have been working at helping the people who live downtown have access to groceries and fresh food.”
The New Kensington Downtown Partnership has a bus that takes residents from downtown to other grocery stores in New Kensington that sit a few miles away, including Giant Eagle, Golden Dawn and Aldi.
The city’s farmer’s market launched two weeks ago and operates every Saturday through Oct. 19 at Fifth Avenue and 10th Street, outside Voodoo Brewing.
There hasn’t been a grocery store in downtown New Ken since Shop ‘n Save closed in 2020.
“This is something we’ve been working on for the last three or four years,” said Michelle Thom, Downtown Partnership president. “We’re very excited. This access to fresh food will impact their health.”
Ankney, the 21-year-0ld from Natrona, works at General Press in Harrison. He grew up in Natrona and is looking to buy a home in the small river town.
He knows plenty of people who rely on DoorDash for groceries, having to spend the extra money on delivery because they don’t have transportation and are unable to walk up the hill to Community Market in Heights Plaza.
Ankney believes opening a grocery store could lead to other economic development.
“I think it brings more value to the community,” he said. “It might motivate others to bring more stores or venues.”
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Yockey, who also owns Horizon Wash Spa in Brackenridge, said about 12 jobs will be created at each location.
Hiring is underway for the Tarentum site, but applications are being accepted for all locations.
Employees are needed for full-time and part-time shifts daily. Store hours will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Delivery will be available within reasonable distances. UberEats and DoorDash will be added as delivery options before long. Yockey said workers will be paid hourly and earn a commission on sales.
Tarentum Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said a grocery store is something residents have expressed interest in.
Decades ago, the borough had an A&P along Fourth Avenue and, later, a Town and Country Supermarket that closed in the late 1980s.
West Tarentum had Perriello Produce, which was known for its fruits and vegetables, along with fresh hoagies. It shuttered in 2020. Now, residents without transportation only have walkable access to Family Dollar.
“We would certainly welcome any investment that supports local needs and enhances access to fresh food,” Boddorf said.
Gilmore, manager of the Healthy Food Center at Allegheny Valley Hospital, said the center is flourishing since opening in 2023. At least 65% of township residents do not live within a mile of a grocery store.
“It’s the first thing we ask,” Gilmore said. “That means they are limited in options to most junk food — higher sodium, sugar and fat. That doesn’t do you any good.
“We have to fight for people who don’t have the privilege of access to fresh and nutritious food. These grocery stores will be life-changing.”