PITTSBURGH — For 190 days, residents of Pittsburgh’s Hill District have lived without a grocery store after Salem’s Market abruptly closed its doors on February 17, citing financial and operational challenges, but that will soon change.
On Tuesday, Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh announced it had signed an agreement to purchase Salem’s Market and reopen a grocery store in the same location. An agreement was signed on June 25.
“I think Macedonia doing this...it would be great for the community,” said Hill District resident JoEllen Gore, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than three decades. “When you have something and it’s cut off, it makes a difference in your daily living.”
The Hill District has faced repeated challenges with grocery access. When Salem’s opened, it ended a “grocery drought” in the neighborhood following the closure of Shop ’n Save in 2019. Its shutdown earlier this year again forced many residents, especially seniors, to travel outside the neighborhood for food.
“We all pay taxes, so why can’t we get something that helps us?” Gore said, explaining that seniors often have to travel to Shadyside or the South Side for basic necessities.
Allegheny County Council member DeWitt Walton, who represents District 10 and has lived in the Hill District for more than 30 years, emphasized the importance of reliable access to fresh food.
“Not having fresh food, ready food, is a barrier,” Walton said. “We have to do what’s right and honorable for the residents of this community.”
Walton said Macedonia Church’s long-standing presence in the Hill District makes it well-positioned to succeed, but the project will require strong community backing.
“Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh is a recognized and respected entity that generates positive feelings,” he said. “It is going to be a challenge for Macedonia to make it work, and the only way it will work is if people support it, people go in and buy goods.”
For now, there’s no set timeline for when the store will open or what it will be called.
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