Mass Market News

Leevers Locavore opens on November 21, 2019. Mark Antonation Denver’s north side will soon have a new stop for groceries, breakfast, lunch, dinner…and a drink. Leevers Locavore opens at 7 a.m. on Thursday, November 21, with local, organic and natural products; several food-service counters serving the likes of breakfast sandwiches, pizza and sushi; and a bar where you can order wine and Colorado beer to sip as you stroll and shop. “We’re offering the energy of a food hall or East Coast market, but in a grocery store setting,” says general manager Chris Franklin, who previously worked for Trader Joe’s. The GM compares his new store to his old employer, noting that there’s a similar emphasis on customer service, something rare in the supermarket business. Local, natural and organic are the goals. Mark Antonation Leevers Locavore was built from the bones of a former Save-a-Lot in a building that dates back to 1951. During renovations, the company stripped back layers of linoleum flooring to reveal hardwood floors that cover almost the entire expanse of the store, and they also removed a drop ceiling to reveal steel beams, converting a second-floor manager’s office into mezzanine cafe seating in the process. Leevers also built a new front door “to put you in the middle of the action,” Franklin notes; the former entrance now serves as a doorway to a patio where shoppers can enjoy coffee, drinks and food. The new front door leads directly to a produce section stocked with Colorado fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Encircling the produce section are several food-service counters, including a coffee bar stocked with beans from Queen City Collective Coffee ; a pizza counter operated by Mike Miller’s longtime neighborhood pizzeria group, Basil Doc’s ; a version of chef Justin Brunson’s Culture Meat & Cheese that will focus primarily on sandwiches, soups and charcuterie boards; and One Two Three Sushi (which replaces the originally planned Sushi-Rama counter). In the same area, there’s also a small plant and floral shop from Tigerlily Goods and a “chop shop” with fruits and vegetables prepared each day for home […]

Source: www.westword.com