What Is The Fresh Market?

Is it a Whole Foods? Is it a Big Y? No. It’s .

The specialty grocer opened 9 a.m. Wednesday at Nod Brook Mall in Avon and hundreds were inside within the first hour. Fresh Market only has one other store in Connecticut, in Westport, and this marks the company’s 115th store nationwide.

“It’s beautiful and I’m glad it came to Avon,” Avon resident Linda Merlin said as she visited the seafood section.

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies with Fresh Market are a little different. Employee Pam Rosencrans cracked open an aged wheel of parmesan cheese just before 9 a.m., as is tradition at every store opening. The first 1,000 customers received Fresh Market coffee and a reusable Fresh Market bag.

Produce, seafood and meat are major components of the grocery store and shipments come in daily, Don Desrosiers, manager of the Avon site, said. Fresh Market sells about 400 produce items, he said, and the staff restacks the shelves every morning.

“’Fresh.’ We attribute that to the produce department because when people come shopping they want fresh and this is what we offer them,” Desrosiers said.

While the store has some national brands, like Driscoll’s blueberries, Desrosiers said more local brands will be featured as the weather gets warmer and Fresh Market gets to know the area better. The store also has a wide array of beer, including New England brews, like Farmington River ales.

Burlington resident Pam Hoffman said she’s “been waiting for this day.”

“It’s bright. It’s organized. It’s clean. It’s happy,” she said upon seeing the store for the first time on Wednesday.

For Hoffman, the opening means more than introducing a new business to the community. It also educates people about eating well.

“It’s so important to eat healthy, and I’m glad to see so many people have turned out to support the opening and are getting it,” Hoffman said.

When Ray Berry, founder of the North Carolina-based business, opened the first Fresh Market 30 years ago, he envisioned making it a “European-style market” focused on perishables, said Marc Jones, Fresh Market senior vice president of merchandise and marketing.

Unionville resident Scott Paul came to the opening looking for a “closer alternative to Whole Foods,” but said that it was smaller and that he wished it had a larger salad bar.

“It’s a nichier Whole Foods without a lot of the staples,” Paul said.

Many others have compared it to Whole Foods, but Fresh Market aims to set itself apart from other grocery stores.

“It’s a little different than Whole Foods. It’s not a health food store,” Jones said. “Everything we sell, we taste. We come from the angle that [food] has to taste really good.”

While there is no organic foods section, Fresh Market carries labeled organic items spread throughout the store categorized by food type.

About 80 of the 90 people hired for the new Fresh Market live within a 10-mile radius of the store, and many are from Avon and Canton, Desrosiers said. Employees are stationed at the seafood, meat, bakery and deli counters, the floral section and throughout the store, available to answer questions. Customers can also ask to sample fruits, vegetables and other select foods that they are less familiar with, Desrosiers said.

“We are a community-orientated company,” Desrosiers said.

In addition to featured food samplings over the next few days, chefs will be giving cooking demonstrations. A chef cooked Applewood bacon for customers at the opening Wednesday morning and another made crab cakes late afternoon.

Roses, orchids and other flowers are on display near the entrance on the right and there is already a Valentine’s Day section by the various candy bins. Fresh Market does have its own packaged food brands, from coffee to chicken stock.

Selection is important to Paramita Paul Das, of Avon, but she is also looking for affordability in a grocery store. She said that on first glance, Fresh Market seemed to be slightly on the expensive side, but she was happy it’s nearby.

“Everything is expensive in Avon,” said Paul Das, who was shopping with her husband, Biswajit Paul and 5-year-old son, Rick Paul. “We are hoping the price will be competitive.”

While there is no plan to open more stores in Connecticut, the company is excited about its new Avon location.

“New England is an area where we think we can have more stores,” Jones said. “We have had some success.”

The Fresh Market is located at 321 West Main Street in the former Little Saku building. It is open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Store Manager Don Desrosiers can answer questions at 860-677-0756.

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