Millerton Fresh Market prepping for soft open Monday, March 13

MILLERTON — There’s nothing like swift action, and the Choe family, owners of Sharon Farm Market in Sharon, Conn., are well aware of that.

Chris Choe, and his son, Joe, have been hard at work prepping the former Grand Union, or GU Market, at Millerton Square Plaza on Route 44, to open as the new Millerton Fresh Market. The store, much anticipated by local shoppers, is set to have a soft opening on Monday, March 13.

“We’re doing some renovations now, and that’s what we’re shooting for,” said Joe. “Right now we’re building a lot of stuff, everything that we have in Sharon: a nice, big produce section, everyday groceries, a meat department, deli and bakery. We’re building a fish house, which will be very cool, and we’re going to add another kitchen with prepared foods, a salad bar and a cafe.”

There will be a professionally trained chef in the back and a sushi chef. There’s a possibility of adding fresh pizza or other specialties in the future.

Unlike Sharon Farm Market, where there are different food purveyors under one roof, Millerton Fresh Market will be run entirely by the Choes.

Plans are well on their way to execution. The Choes have been on site since the GU Market closed on Saturday, Feb. 25. The goal is to have an official grand opening by Memorial Day.

The fish house will be a big attraction. It was described as a fish department that’s enclosed; shoppers can walk right in and choose from a lobster tank, fish cases and soup stations.

“It’s going to be great,” said Joe.

The cafe is also exciting, he said. 

“People can come and sit down, watch a little TV. We’re hoping to round that off pretty soon,” said Joe, who described himself as being in charge of everything from stocking shelves to doing paperwork. Being in charge of “operations,” he said, is what describes him best.

The Choes are working closely with their landlord, Skip Trotta, who had previously owned Trotta’s Market before it was a Grand Union. Today, Trotta isn’t directly involved with the supermarket, except as the landlord. He also owned Trotta’s Market in Sharon, before Sharon Farm Market opened its doors. Still, the Choes appreciate his assistance in getting them into the Millerton space so quickly.

“Skip is our family friend, and he’s kind of helping out,” said Joe, reiterating that the Trottas are not involved in the store’s ownership or management.

Those who are helping with the running of the store include former GU Market manager Brian Ferreira, who will stay on as general manager at Millerton Fresh Market.

“He’s great,” said Joe. “We’re going to be happy with that decision.”

Many other GU workers also kept their jobs — something that was important to the Choes.

“We tried to keep everyone on who wanted to stay,” he said. “We do have a significant number of them.”

Aside from being concerned about the possible loss of jobs, the community also expressed concern about the store having Connecticut prices. But Joe said the store will reflect the community it serves.

“Pricing will be able to be more competitive,” he said, “because we have the space. The thing with our Sharon store is that we’re limited on space, so we’re limited on what we can bring in. The Sharon store does offer a dozen eggs for .99 cents and a $2.79 gallon of milk, so we do have those deals, but it’s half the size, and we can’t carry everything.”

The Sharon store is 13,000 square feet, while the Millerton market is 27,000 square feet in size.

“I completely understand the concerns of the community regarding pricing, but we will be coming in very competitive and very fair,” said Joe, adding the feedback has been encouraging. 

“We’re getting a lot of support from the town,” he said, “so that’s awesome. There’s a lot of excitement on our side as far as what the store will become.”

The store will be open while renovations take place. 

“If people can bear with us until everything is spruced up, we’ll pretty much be ready to open on the 13th,” said Joe.

The store will be open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Though it’s not available yet, there will be a new phone number for the store.