This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Wednesday, Harmons Grocery Stores began renovation of its Emigration Market in what could be a preview of smaller stores it will build along the Wasatch Front that cater to the tastes of individual neighborhoods.
Workers began by demolishing add-ons to the original structure, including the facade, covered patio and walls on the structure's west and south sides.
The store on Salt Lake City's east side, built in the 1900s, will get a new roof, and Harmons also plans to upgrade landscaping with such features as a pet watering station for the neighborhood.
Harmons is keeping some of the original load-bearing walls and has already begun upgrading the building structurally and seismically inside.
An opening for the store at 1706 E. 1300 South is set for June.
The location will be the grocer's smallest, with 10,000 square feet of space. Grocery selections will carry some of the chain's largest-selling items, but instead of "15 flavors of, say, spaghetti sauce, there may only be two or three," said co-owner Randy Harmon.
For years, he and brother Bob have visited neighborhood stores throughout the United States, researching how smaller markets flourish. The Harmons say the Emigration Market likely is the first of many such stores that will be aimed at certain areas with distinctive needs.
Inside the 17th East location, the market is being designed to appear twice as large, with storage areas opened to more shopping space and shelving designed to take advantage of smaller aisles.
Emigration Market will feature Harmons' artisan breads, a coffee bar, gelato, organic and traditional produce, a custom meat counter with dry-aged beef, domestic and imported cheese, and fresh delicatessen fare.
The store also will stock a variety of traditional grocery items, including dairy, frozen foods, cereals and canned goods. In addition, it will offer Wi-Fi access and inside and outside dining areas.
On-site chefs, bakers and food experts will prepare made-from-scratch meals and side dishes.
Bob Harmon anticipates that shoppers from the neighborhood will walk to the store to make fresh-food purchases two or three times a week. To that end, the chain will make smaller but more frequent deliveries from its nearby Brickyard store, particularly breads baked in artisan ovens too big for the 1700 East location.
Harmons purchased the failed Emigration Market in July in hopes that it will be better situated to keep the small neighborhood store afloat.
At Emigration Market, store director Rae Tafoya "will have the latitude to make decisions for that store based on customer requests for special items, because the community will dictate what the store needs," said Bob Harmon.
The Harmon brothers know firsthand the value neighborhood markets can bring to local communities. They grew up in a small neighborhood store their grandparents operated in West Valley City. The boys swept floors, bagged groceries and stocked shelves.
Today, the chain operates 13 stores in the Salt Lake Valley, Orem, Ogden, Roy and St. George. Two stores are under construction, in downtown Salt Lake City and Farmington.
Harmons' three new stores
Salt Lake Emigration Market » 1706 E. 1300 South, to open in June
Downtown Salt Lake City » 135 E. 100 South, to open in spring 2012
Farmington » intersection of I-15, U.S. 89, Legacy Parkway and FrontRunner commuter rail, to open in May