Vickee Spicer, executive director of Prairieland Market, invited the Salina Journal into the new store at 118 S. Santa Fe Ave. before its soft opening Thursday while KeHE distributors stocked nonperishable groceries.
“The doors will be unlocked and there will be things to purchase on (Oct.) 23,” claimed Spicer. “Then we’ll have a grand opening on Nov. 9.”
Spicer said the new Prairieland Market’s mission, which can be found on its website, will remain the same: “To encourage healthy food choices, provide nutritional food education, and access to local, organic, and craft foods, in order to promote enhanced well-being for the community.”
Prairieland Market’s main purpose is to provide Salina residents with locally sourced food, which will continue with new larger location.More than quadruple the capacity at the new building will be dedicated to refrigeration and frozen foods.
Spicer claimed the former store’s limited space forced them to reject away local suppliers of Bagyu beef or more chicken and pork alternatives.There will be more space for seasonal food when it arrives at the store instead of using small shopping trolleys.
With so much potential for local fresh producers, the new building needed extra inventory space, so it has a walk-in freezer, refrigerator, and backroom shelving.
“We prepare and process fresh produce and then freeze it so we can use it recipes later,” he said. “We were doing that before but were doing it in a freezer that was (for home use). So customers can shop for all their food, the store will provide more organic non-perishables.
“You can come in and get your pasta, your tomato sauce and get all the things to make a full meal,” he said.Prairieland is collaborating with KeHE, a national distributor of natural, organic, specialized, and fresh food, to get new goods to sell with local packaged foods.
Prairieland will sell local artisan beer. Spicer said the business is in talks with brewers like The Farm and Odd Fellows to source the best local craft beer as they wait for a retailer license.”At a board meeting, we had a taste testing,” stated. “It’s very important have those … to know what you’re going to have.”
Spicer hopes to work with brewers to create Prairieland-only beers.Prairieland cooks and packages meals for customers, but Spicer said the old building didn’t have a kitchen, so they were made off-site once a week.
“We were cooking at First Presbyterian Church on Mondays, and I’d put in my car and bring it over,” recalled. “A lot of the popular stuff would be gone in a day or two and by the time you get to Saturday it was slim pickings.”
A full commercial kitchen with culinary ranges, ovens, and a rotisserie oven will run at least every weekday and allow for fresh food creations at the new store.
Spicer said the new kitchen will offer culinary workshops and meal preparation to fulfill the objective of “providing nutritional food education.”Finally, the new structure will provide limited seats for customers who want to pick up and eat one of these prepared meals for lunch or dinner.
Prairieland workers and volunteers will spend the next two weeks moving things to this new building after its existing home closed on Oct. 12.
Spicer said there may be a few modifications after the soft opening and grand opening on Nov. 9, like adding coverings for the enormous Santa Fe-facing windows, but Prairieland is delighted to finally open this new location.