Grocery market to launch in a CT city neighborhood. There is a need it hopes to fill.

In the works for two years, a food shopping alternative in one of Connecticut’s most impoverished neighborhoods will open May 30, offering a new approach in a city struggling to build a viable ecosystem that delivers fresh, healthful groceries.

The Grocery on Broad, near the Fire by Forge restaurant in Hartford’s Frog Hollow, is offering shoppers the opportunity to buy fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and ingredients to make meals. Prices will be discounted based on individual and family income, and can be combined with other low-income subsidies such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

The market’s goal is to open up more options to buy fresh groceries and ease what it costs to make purchases, said Ben Dubow, executive director of the Hartford-based nonprofit Forge City Works, which will operate Grocery on Broad.

“What we’re really trying to do is address both,” Dubow said. “To me, it’s just part of the puzzle. It’s not the whole thing. We don’t see ourselves replacing traditional food pantries or other programs like that. But we think we can be a good supplement for people and provide ongoing, continuing access to more healthy, wholesome, real foods on a regular basis.”

Dubow said he hopes the model will work in other neighborhoods where buying nutritious food and meal ingredients such as rice, beans and other grains is a challenge.

Frog Hollow, within four blocks of the State Capitol, is one of the most poverty-stricken neighborhoods in the state, according to the nonprofit Partnership for Strong Communities that advocates for an end to homelessness and expansion of affordable housing.

The median household income in Connecticut is $65,521 compared with $27,051 in Hartford overall and $17,333 in Frog Hollow. At 16%, Frog Hollow has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. About 90% of residents are renters, nearly 80% of whom have moved in the last year. And half are spending more than the recommended 35% of their income of housing, which puts a strain on budgets for groceries.

Customers meeting income guidelines can qualify for either 50% or 25% discounts on purchases at the market by signing up for a free membership. If a potential customer doesn’t meet income guidelines, a membership still carries a 3% discount. Walk-ins off the street also will be welcome but would pay full price.

The one-page application provides for “self-certification” of income. For example, a family of four with annual income of $90,000 or less could qualify for a 25% discount. The same-size family earning less than $67,500 in annual income could qualify for a 50% discount.

Once a customer has a membership, a card will be issued for swiping at the end of a shopping trip. The discount will be applied privately, Dubow said, to “destigmatize” the process so no one will know who is getting discounts and who’s not.

So far, the grocery has 80 members, according to Mayra Rivera, the market’s general manager. The market offered sign-ups during weekly pop-up markets last year, and applications will again be accepted when the market opens.

The market dovetails well with Forge City Work’s main mission of increasing access to healthy food and its training program for city’s youth for careers in the hospitality and restaurant industries. Some of the trainees will prepare “grab-and-go” items that will be sold at the new grocery.

The thought behind the market also is to not necessarily clear a profit but to break-even. To do so, Dubow has said he expects Forge City Works will have to raise $100,000-$150,000 a year to subsidize the venture.

The grocery, operated in partnership with Connecticut Foodshare, is opening with the innovative use of a $142,000 Hart Lift storefront grant, a program funded with federal pandemic relief funds. Hart Lift seeks to revitalize vacant storefronts throughout the city and also was instrumental in the opening of Fire by Forge, the former Firebox, a year ago.

The Hart Lift grant combined with a $250,000 federal grant secured with the help of the office of U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, Dubow said.

Forge City Works had hoped to have the new grocery open by early January, but the date got pushed back. There were delays in construction and equipment delivery and a wait for funding to arrive, Dubow said.

“So kind of a combination of things, but here we are, ready to go,” Dubow said. “This is really exciting to see come to fruition, to be able to try something new in this area that will make a significant difference for our neighborhood and community.”

The Grocery on Broad will have limited hours and inventory for a soft opening through June 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. as staff is trained. Regular store hours will then be Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store will be closed Mondays.