Where is the American Family Market Headed?

I moved to Narberth because of Paul & Angelo Bovo's tuna hoagies.  Though I grew up in nearby Havertown, Narberth was a completely unknown world to me.  In the summer of my 16th year, I was working at an office on the corner of Forrest & Windsor.  I had no grasp of Narberth as a walking community.  I didn't know what a walking community was.  I got in my car and drove to Narberth and parked in a parking lot...just like most other Americans do every day.

One day, my boss suggested I get lunch at the market down the street instead of my usual routine of driving to Wawa.  Ten years later, I could not get that Tuna Hoagie out of my mind.  And so, when I was married, I convinced my wife that we should move to Narberth.

The American Family Market is a local treasure.  Its decor is classic Americana.  It is human-sized, especially when compared with the artificial reality at the supermarkets on our borders.  Working at AFM is an employment rite of passage for many of our youth.  The deli counter and checkout serve as a meeting place for exchanging news.  One can buy prepared food that, honestly, is made with love instead of a minimum wage disinterest.  Along with Mapes, the American Family Market is an anchor store of our downtown.

For some time I have been concerned with the market's future.  I have heard that the market cannot change ownership without extensive work in bringing it up current building and food preparation codes.  Times are tough and Narberthians are clipping coupons; finding ways to save on weekly expenses.  And so, it was with sadness and some fear for the future that I read about the closure of Gladwyne's Delaware Market in the Main Line Times.  I am sure that the problems of competition from supermarkets and a poor economy are not limited to Gladwyne.

The American Family Market is a resource to all of us.  I behooves us to support it and to help plan for its continued future.

Comments

[Mike A.]

I like the fact that there is a market in Narberth. I like American Family Market because of the meat and cheese from DiBruno Brothers. However, AFM's produce section is not good, the refrigerated section is frequently near expiration, and as you say, the prices aren't competitive.

I would love to see something like Weaver's Way Co-Op in the space. My fiance and I were just over there, and we wish something like that was in our town so we could be members. We really want a place to buy local and organic food, like Pequea Valley Farm yogurt.