It’s been several decades since Tarentum residents had a full-fledged grocery store to shop for anything but chips, pop and frozen foods.

Councilwoman Carrie Fox recalled browsing the A&P grocery aisles as a child, saying her parents shopped at the Fourth Avenue store and, later, at the Town and Country Supermarket that closed in the late 1980s.

“When I grew up, we had many ‘Ma and Pa’ tiny grocers, too,” Fox said.

The borough’s status as a grocery desert could soon change.

Dollar General Market, which focuses on produce, meat and bakery items, is seeking to build a store along West Seventh Avenue, near East Street. It would be constructed adjacent to the Family Dollar.

“We are very excited about it, but some of it hinges on contingencies between the developer and private citizens,” Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said.

“The borough is always looking for ways to improve our residents’ quality of life, and securing an agreement that brings a grocery store to town would be a substantial improvement for many residents.”

There is no timeline for construction if a deal is reached.

Dollar General operates about 19,000 stores in the U.S. The newest iteration is the DG Market, which offers more grocery options than a traditional dollar store.

An email from Dollar General public relations did not outline details of the project but said “we continue to evaluate opportunities where we can add stores and fresh produce.”

“We keep the customer at the center of all we do and are always looking for opportunities to grow in a number of different communities around the country,” the email said.

At the potential construction site, the borough owns two vacant parcels with a total value in the mid-$30,000 range. There is one other property on the block, the owner of which is in negotiations with Dollar General, Boddorf said.

Council is so in favor of a grocery store that it would be willing to transfer the borough’s land for $1 — with the provision that it be used solely for a food market.

“For how high of a need there is for a grocery store, it’s a good trade,” Boddorf said.

“If it doesn’t work out, the borough gets the land back.”

Resident Cindy Homburg called the possibility of a new store “very good news.”

“There are too many walkers here that can’t get somewhere to buy fresh food,” she said.

West Tarentum resident Rose Weidenhoff said the addition of a grocery store would be “wonderful.”

The longtime resident lamented the closing of Perriello Produce, just a few blocks from her house, in 2020.

She said it was a great alternative to big-box stores and allowed residents without transportation to access groceries other than “junk food.”

“There’s a lot of us who don’t drive,” she said.

The corner market operated under several names since the mid-1940s and was known for its fruits and vegetables, along with fresh hoagies.

“Now we have to get a ride to the ‘Heights to shop, or ride the bike,” Weidenhoff said.

Council President Scott Dadowski said the borough has a decent shot of landing the DG Market, which reminds him of the Market Express in Harmar.

“They did their homework on the area and saw there is nothing grocery-wise here,” he said. “They see it as a good opportunity for them.”

Fox said a grocery store could be an important steppingstone for redevelopment along the West Seventh corridor.

“It’s crucial because this avenue will get more traffic with the opening of Pittsburgh Brewing Co. as they expand,” she said.

Boddorf said the borough would benefit by getting the property back on the tax rolls.

“It would represent another milestone in the borough’s redevelopment and bring in business from municipalities around us, which is always positive,” he said.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)