Canopy Street Market filling gap in former food desert of downtown Lincoln

But others still are finding out about the 8,000-square-foot, full-service grocery store, with a meat counter, deli, fresh produce and beer, wine and liquor.

"It surprises us how many people say, 'Oh, there's a grocery store there?'" said Jill Moline, who along with her husband, Allo Communications president Brad Moline, partnered with Mark Whitehead of Whitehead Oil to open the store at 140 Canopy St. "They didn't all just come rushing in at one time."

She said people have steadily wandered in this winter, before concerts at Pinnacle Bank Arena or Husker basketball games.

Jill Moline said they get a nice lunch rush at the deli from employees at nearby businesses like Hudl, Olsson and Lutz. A lot of their traffic is from people walking or biking. Bus drivers have discovered them, too.

But others have been a bit slower to find the downtown grocery store.

Maybe it's because they're on the edge of the Haymarket, just south of the O Street viaduct, or because they don't look like a typical grocery store, Moline said.

They keep working on getting their name out there, putting out more street signs, printing maps, going to expos and other downtown events to introduce themselves to the area.

It's all come as a bit of a surprise, she said, given so many people said they wanted a grocery store downtown.

"They were saying that this was a food desert, and it kind of was," she said. "Hopefully we've plopped ourselves down in that desert."

Justin Spooner, who lives downtown to be close to work at Hudl, said he's a big fan of the market and stops in a few times a week.

A grocery store may not be the deciding factor, the way rent or amenities are in deciding where to live, but apartments and condos have been sprouting up downtown and in the Haymarket.

"And somewhere to shop for food will make a difference in people's decision-making process," Spooner said.

Plus, he said, he expected the prices at a boutique-style grocery store to be expensive. That hasn't been the case, he said.

Spooner said a lot of people he works with at Hudl have taken advantage of the proximity to the store, too, whether stopping in for a soda or snack during the day or coffee or breakfast in the morning.

"One thing I've noticed is that I'm constantly seeing co-workers at the store when I'm there in the evening just shopping for myself. I imagine that's the case for others who work and live in the Haymarket," he said.

Which fits the store's philosophy.

Moline said she sees Canopy Street Market as a small-town setting, like the three other stores she owns, one in her hometown of Imperial and two in eastern Colorado.

"None of my stores are cookie-cutter," she said.

And they've been getting to know their Lincoln customers, who are looking for smaller, single-size portions of fresh, local foods, Moline said. So they started carrying farm-fresh eggs, getting bread daily from Le Quartier, stocking Kitchen Sink cookies and flower arrangements from Grow with the Flow.

"It's impressive how much we can get locally," she said.

Moline brings in flour in cloth bags from Wauneta Roller Mills and Jim Baldridge Seasoning from North Platte.

She said people here appreciate organic items more than at her other stores. They're looking for grass-fed meats and prime meats out of the case.

They've recently expanded their ethnic food options and plan to add more things like aspirin or shampoo that someone living nearby might stop in for. They've added earbuds and electronics, reading glasses and plungers and other basic tools.

It's kind of like a little general store, Moline said.

They're adding online ordering and delivery, which they're hoping makes them more accessible, she said.

"I do feel like a lot more people are moving down here," she said. "And hopefully this is one reason that it makes their move a little bit easier."

In the spring, Moline said, they're looking forward to meeting more people who come roll past on the bike trail, or find them on the way to the farmers market.

"We're excited to be here and the city has been very welcoming to us," she said.

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