What’s going into former Earth Fare in Montrose? That’s the big question

April Helms, Akron Beacon Journal
·3 min read
The facade of the former Earth Fare has a new look at The Shops of Fairlawn Plaza on West Market Street.
The facade of the former Earth Fare has a new look at The Shops of Fairlawn Plaza on West Market Street.

The facade has been updated. The parking lot has been fixed up. But the interior is still largely empty.

So what is going into the former Earth Fare grocery store in Montrose?

The answer, after more than a year of speculation, is still unknown. Local officials and representatives from Stark Enterprises, which owns The Shops of Fairlawn in Montrose, have said that the new tenant still can't be confirmed. In addition to The Shops of Fairlawn, Stark Enterprises owns nearby West Market Plaza and Rosemont Commons, as well as Portage Crossings in Cuyahoga Falls.

Municipal leaders and Stark Enterprises officials have signed nondisclosure agreements. Other than the new tenant will be a grocer, little new information has surfaced in more than a year.

Little has changed at the site in several months, and residents have been guessing as to what new grocer will move in. One guess has been an Amazon Fresh store. The gray facade resembles the exterior of other Amazon Fresh stores constructed elsewhere.

History:'The Grocery Store' project in Montrose leaves clues to what may replace former Earth Fare

Clues to new store:Montrose's mysterious new grocery closely resembles Amazon Fresh storefronts

A representative from Amazon declined to comment on any current or upcoming projects in the area.

Regardless of what is going in, the project seems to have stalled. It wouldn't be the first business to see delays in openings. Many area businesses have had to postpone their opening days for supply-chain issues and difficulties in trying to find employees. One such company is Amazon, which had proposed a delivery center in Springfield. That project was canceled this summer due to changes in the economy, said Allan Swift, the township's zoning administrator.

Growth for online giant slows:Amazon suffers rare quarterly loss as COVID pandemic-induced online shopping slows

There are still several Amazon facilities in the Summit County area, however. The ubiquitous online retailer owns specialty grocer Whole Foods Market, with a location about 4 miles east on West Market Street in Akron's Wallhaven neighborhood. Amazon also has a fulfillment center in Twinsburg, in the industrial park where the former Chrysler Stamping Plant had been. In November 2020, Amazon opened a fulfillment center at the former Rolling Acres Mall.

An update on Seattle-based Amazon's third-quarter results is expected to be released this month. A conference call has been scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Numbers released June 30 painted a somber picture. According to information posted on Amazon's website, operating cash flow decreased 40% to $35.6 billion for the trailing 12 months, compared with $59.3 billion for the trailing 12 months ended June 30, 2021. However, a July update stated Amazon planned to open 12 Amazon Fresh stores across the United States and United Kingdom, offering customers technology like the Amazon Dash Cart.

Business landscape changes:What's in, what's out: One business closes, others coming into Montrose

Now hiring:Amazon wish list: 1,000 seasonal employees in Akron, 150,000 across U.S.

Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Identity of a future Montrose grocer is still a mystery