Donta Rose outside his new Grocery Outlet supermarket at 21st Street and Ridge Avenue in North Philadelphia.After studying engineering at Morgan State University, Donta Rose went to work designing stores for Grocery Outlet, a California-based discount franchise rapidly expanding into the Philadelphia area.
“That’s where we’re from,” said Rose, 28, whose mother, Melanie, grew up on Woodstock Street. “I know the neighborhood. I know how unique this neighborhood is, because if you go four blocks over, you’re on Temple’s campus, and if you go five blocks down, you’re in Brewerytown. It became really important for me to be in a community that we’re familiar with.”
Grocery Outlet is a full-line store with meats, dairy, frozen food, and produce. The groceries are all name brand. But the selection can be random, since the store’s buyers deal in manufacturer overstocks and closeouts.