A new grocer to open in West Village

A neighborhood market will be opening up in West Village soon with a projected opening date of April 3. David Kirby has partnered with his girlfriend, Caitlin James, to open Parker Street Market. James is also co-owner of local juice makers Drought.

The market will focus on supplying local and organic products to the surrounding neighborhood. Kirby has put out a call to all local food producers as he searches for the right mix of products to line the shelves. Local food makers are encouraged to contact Kirby for consideration.

Kirby sees Parker Street Market as a stepping stone for local food entrepreneurs, that place in between selling at farmers' markets and selling at large-scale super markets. With co-owner James being experienced in the local food economy through her work with Drought, the pair have an already established network in Detroit's food scene.

For Kirby, it was being around James and her family that gave him the entrepreneur bug. "If you surround yourself by entrepreneurs, it gets in your blood as well," he says.

After moving to Detroit from New York, Kirby noticed he was often driving to the suburbs for groceries. The couple, who live about a block away from their new storefront, saw the for rent sign at 1814 Parker St. and quickly dived in. Construction began in November.

Kirby believes that the Parker Street Market business model is one that will allow for rapid growth, potentially expanding into multiple stores. They've worked out a structured deal with Door-to-Door Organics, a company that partners with farmers to deliver organic products to people's doors. By agreeing to offer many Door-to-Door Organics products, Kirby will be able to prices low. The emphasis, he says, will be on affordability.

Interested food entrepreneurs can reach Kirby at [email protected].

Source: David Kirby, co-founder of Parker Street Market
Writer: MJ Galbraith

Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here.