Independent grocery store opening new Toronto location in steeply competitive area
A Toronto neighbourhood will soon be getting a new independent grocery store, but when it comes to rising above competitors, the chain has its work cut out for it.
Take a stroll along the Leslieville portion of Queen East and, in addition to a mounting number of chic, buzzworthy restaurants and vintage stores overflowing with holy grail pieces, you'll be met with no small number of independent grocery, produce and bulk businesses.
For affordable organic produce, there's Raise the Root, which is right across the street from local butcher Rowe Farms. A few blocks west, you can stock up on shelf-stable foods at The Source Bulk Foods, cheese at Leslieville Cheese Market, and seafood at Hooked.
Up until two years ago, Urban Bulk & Refill ran a fruitful business for a decade before being shunted from the neighbourhood amid rising prices.
When it comes to local and natural foods, Leslieville is a one-stop shop, and it's about to get yet another option for natural groceries.
While the exact opening date has yet to be confirmed, Ambrosia Natural Foods will soon be the newest grocery option to plant its roots in Leslieville.
Founded in 1979, Ambrosia currently operates four locations across the GTA, all of which are stocked with a comprehensive suite of grocery staples, meat and dairy, produce, including bulk pantry items, natural beauty and health products and supplements.
With nearly 50 years of business under their belts, it's safe to say the Ambrosia team knows what they're doing, but will the sheer volume of competition in the neighbourhood tamp the grocery store's ability to succeed?
Probably not.
Despite the prevalence of comparable and largely longer-running businesses in the area, Ambrosia finds itself well-positioned to thrive.
It's opening on the ground level of the recently revitalized Queen & Ashbridge development, a mixed-income community straddling the border between the Beaches and Leslieville, with a built-in clientele of renters and owners across hundreds of residential units.
As far as Queen East is concerned, the nearest grocery options don't show up for over a kilometre in any direction, so, despite Leslieville's relative density of independent grocers, this particular slice of the city is actually due for one of their very own.
Ambrosia Natural Foods will be located at 1557 Queen St. E. At the time of publication, the location's official opening date is still under wraps.
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