TOUR: CTown Supermarkets - Harrisburg, PA

CTown Supermarkets
Owner: Ramon Contreras, Yamelyn Vargas, and Camila Contreras

Opened: 2021 as Market Fresh, 2022 as CTown

Previous Tenants: Bravo Food Market > F&E Supermarket > J&G Supermarket

Cooperative: Krasdale Foods

Location: 2446 N 5th St, Harrisburg, PA

Photographed: August 14, 2022

Here's our look at one of the few supermarkets in Uptown Harrisburg! And it is, of course, a name we're familiar with from the NYC metropolitan area. CTown Market Fresh -- previously just Market Fresh before their CTown affiliation -- opened in 2021 in an extensively renovated small grocery store space on North 5th St in Uptown. The 6200 square foot store brings a rather full-service supermarket to the area which would otherwise be a food desert, except for a Save-A-Lot about half a mile north.

We enter in the front right of the store to the deli and hot food counter, with produce on the right side of the store lining the first aisle. Dairy is split between the first aisle and the last aisle, with frozen foods in the last aisle. While grocery stores have occupied this space for a long time, this CTown appears to be the most supermarket-like, with previous tenants looking more like bodegas. And no, I do not believe the Bravo that used to occupy this space has any relation to the Krasdale cooperative of the same name.

The first aisle is aisle 5, with aisle 1 being the dairy/frozen aisle at the far left. So it's not a very large store, but it definitely has a little of everything.

The space is bright and clean, too, although I probably would've chosen a different color scheme. I'm not sure how well the mint green, red, orange, and blue all work together.

It appears that the store was extensively renovated before CTown/Market Fresh's opening, since there doesn't seem to be anything left from previous tenants.

And although the store is small, it's still fully stocked.

Smaller sections are dedicated to nonfoods like laundry detergent and pet foods, seen here, but they are still present. My only question would be pricing -- I didn't pay attention when I was here, but I've noticed some prices at the Krasdale/CTown stores around me being very high lately.

Dairy and frozen -- along with lots and lots of paper goods -- in the last aisle.

And that's all! I believe there are three registers total, if we count customer service as one register. I wouldn't be surprised if past tenants didn't have individual registers like this, but instead one long counter like a convenience store.

Tomorrow we're back over on Grocery Archaeology to check out a former grocery store not far away!