It was with great excitement, roughly three years ago, that we told you about the opening of Brewerytown's Bottom Dollar, a long-anticipated oasis for a persistent food desert. We were extra pleased that this market had sprouted on 31st Street just north of Girard Avenue, filling in a parcel that had been vacant for as long as we could remember. At the same time, we were kinda bummed that the architecture of the new market was a major afterthought and that it paled in comparison to early project renderings.
As you're probably aware, Bottom Dollar went belly-up last year, closing all of their locations as a result. So the market on 31st Street lasted almost exactly two years. But we were cheered when we learned that Aldi, the company that purchased many of the remaining assets from Bottom Dollar, would be taking over this location. Before the summer came to an end, the new Aldi was up and running and neighbors once again had convenient access to groceries. Aldi did a major renovation to the building and the new store sadly doesn't include an orange piggy bank on the roof. But it does look better.
We don't quite know what it is about the redone facade, but it just looks like a more legit shopping center now. And you'll note from the photo above, a Fine Wine & Good Spirits store has appeared next door, having come on the scene in October. We're pretty sure this is replacing the shuttered liquor store on the 2500 block of Girard Avenue, and while it's less central it's surely a larger and more attractive space. And with tons of development on surrounding blocks, you can bet that both the Aldi and the new liquor store will see their sales numbers climb in the coming years.