Millerton grocery store opening delayed

MILLERTON — Millerton residents eager for a new food market will have to wait a little longer.

During a recent visit to her newly opened New Haven grocery store, Market 360, co-owner Kim Choe offered The News an update — or rather, a lack of one — on the highly-anticipated Millerton market she owns with her husband, Chris.

“We have a lot of work to do inside the building,” Choe said, explaining that the couple is still assessing the scope of renovations. “We can’t provide an updated timeline yet.” Among the needed improvements, she noted, is a new roof.

The exterior of the shopping plaza is also in disrepair, with overgrown weeds and stacks of glass refrigerators sitting in the parking lot. The appearance has raised questions about the Choes’ recently estimated timeframe of an October opening.

Choe said that she and her husband have had their hands full with their newly-opened New Haven store. Market 360, located in a busy commercial space on Chapel Street just past the Yale campus, held its grand opening on June 4 and was attended by New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.

That store, Choe said, is still finding its footing and building its team. Despite being in its early stages, Market 360 is fully operational, with shelves well-stocked with international and American food and the aroma of curry and spices drifting through the aisles from the cafe.

No strangers to the grocery business, the couple has owned and operated the nearby Sharon Farm Market for 15 years. They purchased four adjoining parcels in the former Millerton Square Plazaat 122 Route 44 — totaling 10.2 acres — and earlier this spring the Town of North East Planning Board approved their site plan for the “Town Gourmet Market.”

When asked if the Millerton project was still a sure thing, Choe was effusive. “Of course,” she said. “It’s our building. It’s our home.”