Gordon Food Service, a 115-year-old company that specializes in large package food items and kitchen supplies, is opening a new retail location on West 117th Street on a former J.D. Byrider car lot.

The new store, which has been fully approved by the City of Cleveland and is set to break ground this month, reinforces the strength of the west side Cleveland trade area, says Anita Brindza, Executive Director of Cudell Improvement.

"With the density of our population, we have a market here," she says. "They liked the proximity to downtown, the west side of Cleveland and Lakewood, and of course to I-90 for deliveries. It worked out that this would an ideal location."

GFS Marketplace Realty paid $1.25 million for the property last year. Plans have come together quickly, and company officials expect to invest approximately $4 million in the location, Brindza says. The store would employ about 20 people.

"We're always looking for additional locations that will serve our existing customer base as well as [new customers]," says Mark Dempsey with GFS. "We have locations in the suburbs of Cleveland, but we do not currently have a location that serves the city's near west side very well. This is really about convenience."

Dempsey touted the company's ability to deliver "restaurant-quality products in large packages" and items that consumers "can't get at a grocery store" in addition to its ability to help restaurants and institutions "keep their operations cooking."

Brindza says the family-owned company has accommodated local concerns. "They initially thought about a truck entrance off W. 116th, but both the Councilman and Cudell Improvement said that would be inappropriate. We said we'd like a pedestrian entrance off W. 116th to serve local residents, and they agreed."

GFS did not request any incentives from the City of Cleveland, says Brindza, whose organization helped shepherd the store through various city approvals.

Brindza believes GFS will happily coexist with local grocery stores as well as the planned grocery at the Shoppes on Clifton development. "You don't go in there to buy a single loaf of bread, but if you're looking for economy-size Betty Crocker cake mix. If you're having a party, family gathering, something with 50 people."

If development proceeds as planned, the store will be open before Thanksgiving.

Source: Anita Brindza, Mark Dempsey
Writer: Lee Chilcote