When
Green Aisle Grocery, a beloved local purveyor of organic and artisanal foodstuffs, first opened for business on East Passyunk Avenue in 2009, there were few signs that the micro-sized shop would go on to win accolades from the likes of
Food & Wine and
The New York Times. Indeed, in 2012,
Philadelphia magazine named Green Aisle the city's best gourmet market.
Now fans of the grocery's farm-fresh dairy and meat products -- and its dozens of other odd and obscure edibles (Sri Lankan cinnamon sticks, anyone?) -- have another reason to celebrate. In mere weeks, a second and significantly larger Green Aisle location will hang its shingle at 2241 Grays Ferry Avenue in Graduate Hospital.
The ground-floor storefront will be roughly five times the size of Green Aisle's 260-square-foot South Philly shop, says co-owner Andrew Erace, who runs the business with his brother Adam, a local food writer. Even better,
Little Baby's Ice Cream will be serving eight different flavors of locally-made deliciousness from a dedicated counter.
According to Andrew, the idea for Green Aisle's second location partially resulted from a desire to serve a neighborhood without access to the sorts of specialty items the store carries. And, thanks to the swift growth of a product line the brothers launched in 2012 which includes items like organic nut butter and infused honey, they also needed more space.
"It got to the point where in order for us to grow as a business, we really needed to have our own [location] with a kitchen," explains Andrew.
The Erace brothers will also be taking advantage of that new kitchen to offer simple, grab-and-go prepared foods such as parfaits and lettuce-based salads. If all goes well, the store could open as early as May 1.
Source: Andrew Erace, Green Aisle Grocery
Writer: Dan Eldridge