Good Times in the Sloop: Mariano's Opens at 1615 S. Clark

Mariano's at 1615 S. Clark - Opening Night Party

Sloopers rejoice - another highly anticipated grocery store has opened up a glistening, brand new store in the South Loop.  Mariano's is officially open at 1615 S. Clark!

That makes our neighborhood one with a plethora of grocery stores.  Mariano's moves into a crowded space with competitors such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Dominick's, Jewel and Target all within a quarter of a mile of each other (not to mention all the other "specialty convenience" stores spattered around the neighborhood).

If the above seems silly, it's because in our opinion it is slightly silly to get super excited about a grocery store opening up.    

But that's fine, because it shows that the neighborhood has evolved.  Back in 2010, the number one story we had on our site was about the opening of Trader Joe's (according to Google Analytics).  Now while we assume everyone is happy about Mariano's opening it seems like the Sloop is bigger and better than the opening of a fancy new grocery store.

Don't get us wrong, we're excited to have the new store open.  But it's not the most exciting thing going on in the Sloop.  Residential and commercial real estate has begun to pick up.  Positive press continues to sprout up.  The neighborhood discourse seems to be encouraging and best of all there seems to be genuine pride on every block throughout the neighborhood.

So yes, Mariano's opening is good news.  But remember the Sloop is on the up and up!

Oh and about the Mariano's (via Press Release):

Roundy’s, Inc. (“Roundy’s”) (NYSE: RNDY), a leading grocer in the Midwest, tomorrow will open Mariano’s South Loop – its 12th Chicagoland location – adding 425 new jobs to the Chicago economy and bringing the vibrant neighborhood fresh seasonal produce, organic meats and specialty local offerings that are part of Mariano’s signature grocery experience.  

The new store, located at 1615 S. Clark Street will feature popular products from local gourmet food purveyors, like Grandma Maude’s and Esther’s Authentic Foods, as well as 200 organic choices in produce, a meat department with a specialty grill station, and fresh artisan breads baked daily.

And as you may or may not be able to see in the picture above, they threw a grand opening party last night.

Congrats to Mariano's on the opening.  Good times in the Sloop!

Additional Info:  Here is a nice video done by NBC5.  Talks about Mariano's but also has good things to say about the South Loop's growth.

(Old Sloopin Mariano's Link)

(Hat tip: TW!)