***Update: Locavore will open 11/21/19
If you’ve ever felt a glass of wine would augment your grocery shopping experience, Locavore has you covered. If you’ve wanted to grab take-out for dinner and pick up groceries for the next morning’s breakfast, they can do that, too.
Leevers Locavore grocery store aims to be both an affordable grocery store carrying your everyday foodstuffs and a “community hub,” according to General Manager Chris Franklin. Near the entrance will be a bar serving coffee, as well as wine and beer, so customers can grab their morning caffeine or unwind on their way home. On the far wall are three restaurant counters: a pizzaria, made-to-order sushi and a chartrucerie. Customers can grab take-out or eat at the counter. Upstairs on the mezzanine level is seating for a few dozen more patrons.
Franklin says they aren’t trying to be a food court or a full bar though, highlighting that it’s a grocery store with a few additional features. The majority of the store is dedicated to being a traditional grocery store, with a heavy focus on locally sourced products and some national brands offering baseline value items. A community survey the company sent out while planning the store said potential customers wanted organic and locally-sourced options, but cost was also a major factor and the store is striving to meet everyone’s needs.
“A carnivore eats meat. An herbivore eats vegetables. A Locavore eats local,” Franklin is fond of saying. Even the butcher counter has a local flair, bringing in a chef known for his work with several neighborhood restaurants.
A carnivore eats meat. An herbivore eats vegetables. A Locavore eats local.
— General Manager Chris Franklin
The building has been a number of grocers over the years, starting off as Miller’s grocery in the 1950s. Most recently, it was a Save-A-Lot, also owned by Leevers. In renovating the building, designers wanted a modern feel while giving acknowledgment to the past. The rustic hardwood floors are restored, having laid beneath the linoleum flooring of the Save-A-Lot for years. Some tables are actually taken from wood used in the ceiling (nothing structural, Franklin made sure to mention) and the now-exposed steel beams show more history of the building, giving a blend of old and new.
Locavore is looking to hire locally as well, with positions being posted soon as the store moves closer to opening. Leevers Locavore is located at 2630 W. 38th Ave., between Bryant and Clay streets in North Denver.
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