Long-awaited Gem City Market sets grand opening: 3 things to know

Visitors tour the Gem City Market on Wednesday, after supporters announced the food cooperative will host a grand opening on May 12. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

Visitors tour the Gem City Market on Wednesday, after supporters announced the food cooperative will host a grand opening on May 12. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

One of the city’s most anticipated projects, the Gem City Market, announced it will open its doors to the public at noon on May 12.

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Here are three things to know about the grand opening of the Gem City Market.

🍎The market, located at 324 Salem Ave., already has shelves and coolers stocked with nonperishable items, but supporters say they need a little more time to put the finishing touches on the store.

🍎About 19,000 residents live within a mile and a half of the Gem City Market, and the food co-op will greatly reduce their travel time to get groceries, market board members say.

🍎The market has about 8,000 square feet of retail space, a community space, a community kitchen and an area for a health clinic. The community and clinic spaces will host health screenings, after-school children’s programming, yoga sessions and other events, while the community kitchen will offer cooking classes and demonstrations and educational programming.