ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A new grocery store is coming to East Main in downtown Rochester, aiming to fill a gap left when a Dollar General closed last April.
Neighbors told News10NBC’s Garrett Chan that the store, called Aker Club, is a much-needed addition. The closest grocery store to them is currently far away, making it inconvenient to find healthy food options.
Aker Club plans to open sometime in September. It will have everything from meat and produce to household essentials. Store owner Zach Harper said shoppers who have a membership can go in, shop, and go through self-checkout. While the store is a work in progress, Harper said the idea to bring a grocery store downtown was on his mind for a while.
“I moved downtown, and I went shopping at Wegmans, and I forgot an ingredient, and I wasn’t able to. Or I didn’t want to hop in the car and go grab it, and spend 20 minutes driving there and back to get it,” Harper said.
Jose Padin, who lives in downtown Rochester, welcomed the news.
“It’ll be wonderful to get all that stuff there. You know, like get me milk, sugar, anything. It’ll be wonderful to grab it from here in case if we don’t want to go too far away,” Padin said.
Aiming to be affordable
Harper said he’s looking to have prices on the more affordable end, with one day having similar prices close to Aldi’s. The store will require a membership, which will work similar to a Costco or BJ’s, where you scan or show your ID to enter the store. But unlike those store chains, membership for Aker Club is free.
Customers can register online here or at the store once it opens. Once customers are signed up, they can enter using either facial recognition technology or a digital badge linked to their phone.
Harper said Aker Club will accept SNAP and EBT benefits, but it may not be available once the store opens. It plans to have that ready to go in the weeks after opening.
Focus on security
Harper said the membership model is not meant to be a barrier to certain shoppers or track what people buy. Rather, it’s aimed at filtering who can go in and out of the store.
“The first line of defense is just our membership model and our, you know, double door system getting in. What that allows us to do is if, you know, we have to revoke a member for, you know, unsafe behavior or anything that kind of diminishes the shopping quality of the store. The next time that person tries to come into the store, the doors just won’t open for that person,” Harper said.
Harper said that, since the store is connected to the Sibley Square building, it will have a security team out and around the store in case any issues pop up. After signing up, customers can also fill out an online stocking survey and decide what products will be on the shelves come opening day.
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