Market opens in renovated shopping center in Clinton Township

By Heidi Roman
C & G Staff Writer

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — If it were plopped into the middle of a bustling city or a small village in Europe, it would fit right in. But neighbors say the new Randazzo Fresh Market at Garfield Road and Metropolitan Parkway is perfect just where it is.

The market opened this week and is the newest tenant in the renovated Holiday Shopping Center. It has the feel of a traditional market with an eclectic, New World flair, decorated with dark-stained wood, stainless steel and black accents. The entrance opens up to a barrel-vault ceiling, and the displays are all custom-made.

Along the walls, the Randazzos have blown up photos that came off of the side of produce crates from the 1930s and 1940s.

“We’re trying to bring old and new together,” said Sonny Randazzo, co-owner of the newest Randazzo Fresh Market store. The Garfield Road location is the third to open in Macomb County. The markets are family owned and operated.

The store filled a vacancy in the shopping center that was once occupied by a drug store, part of a hardware store and several other smaller shops, some of which relocated to other units in the plaza. Seven different units were combined to make the market.

The renovation was part of a renaissance happening in the area. Aragona Properties, the developing company that owns the plaza, gave the entire building a face-lift, landscaped the median of Metropolitan Parkway near Garfield Road, and added a bike path along the road.  The company also re-did the office buildings at the intersection north of Metropolitan Parkway.

The changes remind Dr. David Riffel, a chiropractor that practices in the plaza, of what the area once looked like in its prime. Metropolitan Chiropractic Clinic is the longest-term tenant in the shopping center.

“When I moved in (to the plaza) 37 years ago, Garfield Road was two lanes,” Riffel said. “Frank Aragona said, ‘someday this will be a major road.’ We didn’t believe it.”

Aragona Properties waited for just the right tenant to complement the renovations they were already planning. It came when the Randazzos approached them.

“We are all happy about having them here,” Riffel said.

Other residents in the area have been looking forward to the opening, too. Judith Albrecht lives not far from the store, and got a sneak peek at the market before it opened to the public.

“There’s only one thing that worries me,” she said. “The displays are so inviting, I’m going to spend all of my money.”

The market was designed with an open floor plan, so customers can see the chefs who make the entrees, pastries and breads in action. The ovens and stoves are visible from the counters the food is sold in.

“You see everything getting made, we’re not hiding anything,” Randazzo said. “We show it off because the most important thing we do is make things from scratch.”

The chefs in the kitchen can whip up a dish on the stoves behind the counter and interact with customers, then offer them a sample of what they made. 

One of Sonny Randazzo’s personal favorites in the store is the olive oil dispensers. Three 55-gallon jars will be filled with imported olive oil infused with different flavors. They’ll have taps on the bottom, so customers can bottle the oil themselves, in small or large amounts.

“You can get as much as you want or as little as you want,” Randazzo said. “I think people are really going to dig that.”

Other features of the store include a sushi counter, build-your-own-salad bar, and a pizza oven. Customers can grab anything they want from the shelves of the store and have a chef throw it on a pizza. There’s also a pre-ordering kiosk for the deli, so customers can order their selections without waiting in line and pick them up when they’re done shopping.

In addition to pre-made hot or cold entrees and dishes, the market will sell produce, meat, cheeses, seafood, groceries and a variety of wines, too.

The soft opening of the store was July 1, and a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting will be held July 29 at 10 a.m.

Randazzo Fresh Market is located at 36800 Garfield Road at Metropolitan Parkway in Clinton Township. For more information, call the store at (586) 293-3500 or visit www.randazzofreshmarket.com.

Randazzo Fresh Market stores are located in Warren and Macomb Township.

You can reach Staff Writer Heidi Roman at hroman@candgnews.com or at (586) 218-5006.