CORNER CHICAGO GROCERY ALIVE AND WELL
AT BREAD AND BUTTER ON GEORGE
Entrepreneurs Stacie Dumas and Mario Abraca
Bring Fresh Food to Logan Square/Avondale
CHICAGO (October 14, 2009) – A classic corner grocery storefront – once an anchor in every neighborhood – will again serve neighbors in the Logan Square/Avondale community with the recent opening of Bread and Butter on George.
The 1,400-squre-foot-store, located in a 100-year-old apartment building at 3035 W. George St., is designed to provide fresh food options and serve as a community meeting place for one of Chicago’s most historic and culturally diverse neighborhoods. With chain and franchise retailers claiming many historic corners and storefronts, Bread and Butter on George preserves a part of Chicago history.
“We saw a need for a classic mom-and-pop grocery of this kind in Chicago,” said co-owner Stacie Dumas. “When the space became vacant, we put in a bid and began remodeling the interior for a soft opening.”
Located on the southwest corner of George and Whipple streets, Bread and Butter’s solid brown exterior harkens back to a time before supermarkets dominated the shopping marketplace. Inside, the store retains the high ceilings, solid wood flooring, large windows and turn-of-the-century character. Dumas retained as many functional fixtures, including an old walk-in freezer door, as possible.
Open since early October, the store offers a modest range of fresh produce, dairy products and ready-to-go sandwiches and soups, as well as some household cleaning suppliers. Dumas plans to shop several times per week for produce to retain quality and freshness, and she’s encouraging neighbors to offer suggestions on what they’d like to see on the shelves.
Logan Square residents know Dumas as the owner/manager of the very successful restaurant, The Hot Spot, a popular breakfast and lunch diner located on West Armitage Avenue. She closed The Hot Spot this year after a five-year run to concentrate on Bread and Butter with partner Mario Abraca, who ran the Blue Cactus, a restaurant serving Mexican cuisine on West Chicago Avenue.
Dumas plans a grand opening in November. By that time she hopes to receive feedback from the community. “We’re posting a suggestion box and will put up a community bulletin board,” she said. “We plan to have a little something for everyone.”
Bread and Butter on George will be open every day of the week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Call 773-227-9990 for more information.
Edward M Bury, APR