A cherished piece of Lower Merion life is closing its doors, writes Denali Sagner for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Gladwyne Market will soon shut down following the sale of its building to RMR Property Holdings for $5 million earlier this year. The small-town grocery store has anchored the corner of Righters Mill and Youngs Ford Roads for decades.
Owner Pete Liccio bought the market in 2009 after years of delivering seafood to its former owners. He said he was told the business would need to vacate as the new owners plan to redevelop the space. “We tried to keep it open,” Liccio said. “It’s not even about the money — it’s about the people. It’s about the employees.”
Those employees will relocate to the Liccio family’s other stores. They own the Market of Lafayette Hill and the Mainline Marketplace in Wayne.
Developer Andre Golsorkhi of Haldon House, which is tied to RMR Property Holdings, said plans call for a “bespoke community hub” that preserves the village’s historic character, not a chain or residential project.
Civic leaders, including Gladwyne Civic Association President Michael Daly, said residents remain cautiously optimistic that redevelopment will “preserve and enhance” the historic core.
Though the beloved market will soon go dark, its spirit will live on in Lafayette Hill, where the Liccio family continues to serve the community.
Read more about the sale of the Lower Merion’s Gladwyne Market in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
