Bargain Grocery Opens Up in Troy!

Bargain Grocery opens it's doors to the Troy neighborhood Friday September 13th, 2024. The highly anticipated grocery store is directly located in downtown Troy and will offer healthy affordable foods for residents. All are welcome to shop at Bargain Grocery!

Troy, NY: On September 13, 2024, Bargain Grocery, a non-profit grocery store that aims to fight food insecurity, had its grand opening. The highly anticipated and much-needed grocery store was first launched due to the lack of accessibility to food in the Utica area. Operated by the Compassion Coalition, a nonprofit serving Utica and Central New York, it has expanded its Bargain Grocery to the Capital Region.

Forty percent of all food in America is wasted each year, as good, edible food is discarded due to aesthetic appeal, packaging issues, or mis-ordering. Bargain Grocery offers quality, healthy food at affordable costs to a region with food insecurity while also working to combat food waste. Compassion Coalition also provides discreet financial assistance to those in need. Compassion Coalition has partnered with growers, distributors, and large corporate donors to bring food access to communities to combat food waste, and proceeds from the store have allowed them to give more than $50 million in donated goods each year and serve more than 350,000 individuals yearly.

Situated in the Flanigan Square Transformation project, the store sits in the northern end of Troy’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative zone, awarded in 2021. The compact Riverwalk DRI District contains many of the city’s arts, cultural, and entertainment assets, including over one and a half miles of riverfront. For the $10 million award, 11 total projects were selected for funding, designed to enhance the area’s vibrant arts and culture scene, walkability and connectivity, housing opportunities, and community services.

The Flanigan Square transformation includes three locations – 547, 549 and 558 River Street – in Downtown Troy. At 547 River Street, the project includes a 68,000 square-foot conversion of office space into 72 residential units – more than half of which will be designated low-income units. Additional interior and exterior renovations will create more than 40,000 square feet of commercial space, with plans for an exterior glass-enclosed rock-climbing wall and gym. Additional site work includes walking paths, electric vehicle charging stations, and improved parking. Next door at 549 River Street, First Columbia is planning to build a senior housing facility with 123 units.

The $75 million project is being supported by up to $6.7 million in Empire State Development (ESD) grants, including $3 million from the Capital Region’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative fund. ESD has also awarded the project up to $9 million in New Market Tax Credits, which are designed to spur community development in lower-income areas of the state. Additionally, the City of Troy is contributing $400,000 from its American Rescue Plan Act allocation. The project will create nine jobs and is expected to generate more than 120 indirect jobs locally.
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