The company that owns the Sav-A-Lot grocery on McMechen Street has acquired the strip mall and has leased out the two long-vacant spaces to new businesses that will open in 2024.
Harold Black, general manager of Sav-A-Lot, confirmed that the Pakistan-American family enterprise, which has operated the grocery store and others like it in Maryland for about a year now, owns the real estate. The company is based in the DC-Maryland suburbs.
He said the former laundromat, once fully remodeled and newly equipped, will re-open under new ownership. The space that for 44 years housed family-run Belle Hardware will become a café and carryout, possibly Halal-themed. Halal food products are produced according to Islamic standards, similar to Kosher products that follow Jewish food guidelines.
Black said he especially welcomed another food outlet, given limited choices for lunch-time meals nearby. He said he expected both stores to open in the first or second quarter of the new year.
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