Hill District residents 'overwhelmed with joy' that Salem's Market is open

The Hill District has a grocery store again.

Salem’s Market & Grill opened its third location at Centre Heldman Plaza on Thursday morning, ending a nearly five-year span in which the Hill District was left without a local grocer following the closing of Shop ‘n Save in March 2019.

Guests roamed through aisles with their shopping carts as early as 8 a.m. Some were looking for traditional items such as donuts from the bakery section and others were on a journey to find oxtail — which was an easy feat with spacious aisles and clear navigation to the butcher shop and meat section.

Owner Abdullah Salem was there along with his children and wife, Liza.

“This is not a good day, it’s a great day,” said Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, who was in attendance.

Salem’s day started very early and began with prayers. “I just prayed for God to make it easy for us, bless us with success and that we won’t let anyone down,” he said. “I’m excited, a little bit tired, but I’m honored and just ready to serve the community.”

Monica Thomas lives fairly close to the store.

“I love this. I remember going to the meetings when this was just an idea and to see it come to fruition is nice,” Thomas said.

Overwhelmed with joy was the sentiment for Janell Norfleet, 27, who works at Hill CDC.

“I know how long they have been waiting for this and we really, really needed it in this community. It’s surreal,” Norfleet said.

About 40 team members were on the floor on opening day, according to Salem. The store is still hiring and looking for about 20 more team members.

Team member Jay Gilbert, 65, is a resident of the neighborhood and only lives two blocks away.

“I came out of retirement, and it is gratifying, this is great,” he said. “We have a store in our own neighborhood instead of traveling across the bridge and going all the way to Shadyside, and there’s a lot of residents around the neighborhood who don’t have access to a vehicle.”

The opening date came just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 11. “Perfect timing,” said Charnee Walker, 34, the store’s front-end lead.

“I am very proud of my department and very proud of this store,” Walker said. “Very excited for it to be here. The Hill really needed a food center catered toward the community. It’s a healthy option.”