Best of Cleveland 2015: Downtown Grocery Store

Heinens hosts as a much needed grocer and quick lunch spot for downtown Clevelanders.

by Sheehan Hannan | Sep. 21, 2015 | 4:00 AM

Erik Drost

Erik Drost

Historical preservation has never tasted so good. In a city full of disused real estate, the downtown Heinen's Fine Foods is a shining example of how to turn ruins into riches. Retrofitted by architect John Williams, the store seamlessly blends the soaring 60-foot glass dome and colorful murals of the 1908 Cleveland Trust Co. rotunda with an astounding panoply of food options, from a popular prepared foods area (come for its $4.99 Sushi Wednesdays) to 7,600 square feet of groceries (including an artisan cheese section, and craft beer and wine selection). The opening of the store in February created a lunchtime hot spot for downtown workers and fills a much-needed grocery gap for residents. "[The rotunda] has been a gathering place for people downtown, anything from residents to students from Cleveland State. That's exactly what we hoped we'd create," says co-president Tom Heinen. "The magnificence of the building is the draw." 900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-302-3020, heinens.com

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