Shoppers at Emigration Market on Salt Lake City's east bench are more likely to hear personal greetings over the store's public address system than general calls to the butcher block, bakery or other destination of a "manager's special."
And if you are Tina, on the day J.T. Martin, who co-owns the market with wife Kimberly, looks down from his office, notices you in the aisle and says, "Good morning, Tina" over the store intercom, simple shopping can grow into a community-building experience.
It's the same feeling at Tony Caputo's Market and Deli on the the corner of 300 South and 300 West, where long-time employees know a patron's name, what kind of sandwich she'll want and what projects she's working on this week.
Consumers are increasingly seeking out the warmer, personal settings of neighborhood grocery stores — and a number of retailers have responded to this demand, opening specialty markets and delis that specialize in caring and community.
"We make a real effort to know someone by their name. When they walk in, I might get on the loudspeaker and greet them. It's kind of cool," Martin said.
Sentiment about neighborhood markets has changed, said Bill Allayaud, a planner for Salt Lake City. In recent years, the idea was to phase out or eliminate these stores. "Now the idea is to allow for a more walkable, pedestrian-friendly community," he said.
It's part of the growing trend of "new urbanism," Allayaud said. "People want
businesses they can walk to from home." Retailers have noticed this interest and are trying to buy land accordingly. Salt Lake City is responding with zoning changes complimentary to the businesses and the neighborhoods in which they are located.
Denny Earhart and Shawn Dalton have poured their savings and energy into The Market at 454 E. 300 South. They sell flowers, produce, specialty groceries and prepared foods in a building that used to be a Ralph's market. They cater to people in the neighborhood, but also to commuter traffic.
"Where would you rather be, under the fluorescent lights at Smith's or here?" asked Debbie Ward on her way out of the business this week at lunchtime.
"We try to create an atmosphere that is appealing to people so they want to spend a little time here," Earhart said. "We aren't part of a chain. This is a very unique place."
Other markets that have emerged in recent months to serve this sentiment include: Orchard Street Market, 900 East and 2000 South.
Pinyon Market and Deli, 2095 E. 1300 South.
The Martins bought the 58-year-old Emigration Market in September and are renovating the building at 1700 East 1300 South. "I kept driving by this market and thinking, 'Boy, what that could be . . . ,' " Martin said. "For a year, I begged the previous owner to sell."
The couple lives a block or two away and has modeled the new store after some upscale specialty markets throughout the country such as: Bristol Farms in California; Draeger's in the San Francisco Bay Area; Eatzi's in Texas; Reay's Ranch Market in Tucson, Ariz.; Long Lake Market in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and Larry's of Seattle.
He's brought back the full-service meat counter, with three full-time butchers and no packaged meat. By the end of June, they'll have a fresh bakery, seafood case, a huge kitchen, meals to go, indoor and outdoor seating — plus expanded community events such as the outdoor grills they've hosted on weekends.
"We've brought the community in," Martin said. "After softball or soccer on Saturday, people in the neighborhood will come by. They would sit anywhere, on the curb even . . . . It was such a community thing. It was just what we imagined, so we knew we had something."
Seven years ago, Steve Rosenberg transformed a corner gas station property at 1100 East and 1300 South into the specialty market called Liberty Heights Fresh. The market carries produce, fresh juices, artisan vinegars, marinated olives and chocolates from around the world. The employees cut cheeses from Portugal, Italy and France to suit a customer's taste and order.
With its high ceilings and open air feel, customers are willing to pay for particularity at Liberty Heights. "No, I've never paid this much for tomatoes, but I can find veggies here I can't get anywhere else," said Sila Gildea. "It's totally worth it to me."
Rosenberg doesn't see himself necessarily as a neighborhood market; he doesn't sell things found on most grocer's shelves. "Our aim is to only sell flavorful food," said Rosenberg, who grew up on a family farm in Michigan. "That distinguishes us from someone who wants to have a fat bottom line."
Rosenberg says he's frustrated with the pace of life in this chaotic society. "We go from our homes, to the garage, to our cars, to a drive-up window, to another drive-up window , to the big-box (retailer), back to the garage," he lamented. "People don't interact. They don't meet one another."
So Rosenberg, who has worked in food distribution, fresh-cut flower importing and filmmaking during his 16-year stay in Salt Lake City, delivers a philosophy with his exotic vinegars, cheeses and produce. He believes the deterioration of the nuclear family might have to do with the lack of flavorful food.
Trade in the frozen dinners for wonderful meals that are prepared by hand from savorous foods, he says. "A morsel of something wonderful is certainly more pleasurable than a plateful of gruel."