Produce World -- big new store opens -- another one closes!

The big new Produce World store finally opened yesterday after so many months of delay. Yesterday was their first day and I went past it completely by accident and saw the big "NOW OPEN" sign.

Produce World
7220 Dempster at Harlem
(847) 581-1029

This store is pretty nice -- bright, with wide aisles and that "new store" smell . It reminds me of Market Place on Oakton or Valli Produce but cleaner, more modern and much less cramped. Besides a really nice produce section, they have a big fresh meat counter with those nice chicken and pork kabobs and lots of lamb (the store is owned by Greek-Americans, I believe). They also have a big deli case with ready made salads and sandwich meats. Lots of ethnic foods not only in the center aisles but also in the frozen section and dairy sections. As could be expected, a heavy emphasis on Greek foods, good selection of feta cheeses, olive oils, vinegars etc. But also Indian dals, rices and spices, and lots of Polish foods. I only had a short time to explore yesterday but managed to zip up and down every aisle. There were some really nice baskets of fresh figs right at the front for $1.69, which is a good price imho. Good wine section right along the front wall. Fresh fish counter.

Produce World was my go-to stop for dinner ingredients between Skokie and Mt Prospect, so I'll be happy to add this to my Niles-ish shopping circle (actually it's Morton Grove, but Niles wraps a lot of the way around it) - it's two blocks closer than it used to be.

I always liked their meats, and even in their smaller location their produce would be of high quality even if limited in selection.
Looking forward to a visit.

One of my favorite stores-cheap produce, inexpensive lamb, filo pastry and fresh Damato's french bread. A wonderful selection of feta cheeses and honey selection. I buy a few things from the deli counter which has a nice selection of arabic breads.

I've been meaning to post about this since this past weekend-- you beat me to it!

I loved the old location but it was cramped, especially the meat dept/deli; the new location not only alleviates that but adds a lot of selection that wasn't available at all at the old store.

I also was happy to pick up a 40 lb bag of Nature Glo lump charcoal of $22.

at Skokie Patch, George Castle wrote:Steve Pavlopoulos’ first choice of Skokie for his produce-meats store was deferred for more than 20 years. Now that it will come to fruition by year’s end, the opening of a third Produce World at a site on Skokie Boulevard will put it across from the long-established Jewel. The result could start a mini-grocery war.

http://skokie.patch.com/articles/new-ki ... -in-skokie

Frankly, I was underwhelmed by the new store.

I've been a fan of both the old store on Dempster and the large one on Cumberland for several years. When I heard here about the grand opening back in September, I quickly made plans to visit. The store on Cumberland is better in basically every way. All departments are or feel larger. This is particularly true of the deli and the meats.

I haven't been back to the new store but I continue to go to the one in Norridge.

Dave148 wrote:

at Skokie Patch, George Castle wrote:Steve Pavlopoulos’ first choice of Skokie for his produce-meats store was deferred for more than 20 years. Now that it will come to fruition by year’s end, the opening of a third Produce World at a site on Skokie Boulevard will put it across from the long-established Jewel. The result could start a mini-grocery war.

http://skokie.patch.com/articles/new-ki ... -in-skokie

Skokie branch is now open.
9426 Skokie Blvd.
Skokie, IL 60077
(847) 763-1125

It's just a hunch but I think Produce World in Morton Grove is probably getting their tail kicked by Fresh Farms in Niles. I stopped into PW for a few items last Friday and was really disappointed by the poor selection, lackluster quality and overall condition of the store. I used to love this place when it was in the small building on Waukegan Rd but this was a far cry from those days. I was just astounded by how far it seemed to have fallen.

Looking for refried beans, so many cans on the shelves were dented, dirty or both. A lot of the produce was wilted and soft. I used to love buying the fresh cevaps and other sausages at the former location. On this visit, the only cevaps in the case were frozen, and there was hardly anything else to choose from. 0-for-3, I walked out, got in the car and headed back south to Fresh Farms, where I easily found everything I was looking for (and more). That's where I should have gone to begin with, and I could have saved myself a good 45 minutes if I'd done so.

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ronnie_suburban wrote:It's just a hunch but I think Produce World in Morton Grove is probably getting their tail kicked by Fresh Farms in Niles. I stopped into PW for a few items last Friday and was really disappointed by the poor selection, lackluster quality and overall condition of the store. I used to love this place when it was in the small building on Waukegan Rd but this was a far cry from those days. I was just astounded by how far it seemed to have fallen.

This is sad to hear. I shopped at the Waukegan Rd. location for many years. Aside from the things that were on the shelves and in produce, I could order odd things -- such as half a goat. However, because I no longer work in MG, when I saw the windows papered over, I just thought it closed, rather than moved, so I just stopped heading for that part of town. Sorry I didn't know they had just relocated -- and sorrier to hear that they're doing poorly. They were such a treasure trove at one time. Sic transit gloria.

I miss the Waukegan location as well. We shop at Produce World for limited items such as olives, Canadian salami, cheese and San Pellegrino sodas (i.e. Limonada) for only $3.99-4.99 for a six pack. The store does sell fresh bread from Damatos. Bought a piece of French brie on sale- as it was starting to ooze- and it was tasty. Produce is sold past its prime. The other smaller store on Skokie Blvd. has Georgian bread from the Georgian bakery on Devon and creme fraiche. Their meat is horrible. Both stores are never crowded.

I always think of Produce World (and other stores) as being in the Jerry's penumbra. Jerry's draws from all around the entire area. Jerry's has the lowest overall prices so many more people shop there and the turnover on the produce is very fast so the produce is very fresh so more people shop there. Jerry's black hole in the price-freshness continuum sucks everyone in.

Produce World either cannot or chooses not to compete on price. Their prices are always at least a little higher than Jerry's. People try Produce World and get neither the freshness nor the good price. Why return?

I really think that Produce World could compete with Jerry's if PW had better quality even at the higher price. But the situation seems to have snowballed since their opening two big new stores nearly simultaneously. I go to PW sometimes because it is easier to run in for one ingredient but seriously, wrinked red peppers?

You are right that there are very few people in either PW store. Contrast with Jerry's crowded parking lot and aisles. PW needs a wake-up call!

Hi- I have been to the Skokie store a few times, and the only time it was crowded was when they had their grand opening, and were giving away tons of free samples. I never see any free samples there anymore, and I see few customers in the store too. They have a few good sales, but not enough to draw me into the store.

We stopped by Produce World on Sunday to pick up some cold cuts and cheese. We ended up at Shop and Save in Niles (Golf Mill parking lot). Shop and Save has a bigger bakery and deli offerings, the produce looks fresher and the beer prices cheaper. if I had to make a choice I would pick Shop and Save. Will check out Market Fresh.

Elfin wrote:We ended up at Shop and Save in Niles (Golf Mill parking lot). Shop and Save has a bigger bakery and deli offerings, the produce looks fresher and the beer prices cheaper.

You may as well just go to the (really nice) Tony's at Greenwood and Ballard.

For Produce World, my money's still on the Norridge store.

We have been to Tony's twice. It reminded me of a small version of Caputos on Carlem. The place is huge and has a lot to offer in regard to bakery, deli and produce. I found it a bit daunting. The produce was cheap and no complaints re freshness. The deli counter was huge and frankly, I expected a bit more independent selection when it came to Italian fare. We have been spoiled by Riveria in this regard. The bakery looked promising -the Italian cookies looked great but not as good as Palermo Bakery. I will stop in if close as it is near other places on Dempster.

Dave148 wrote:

Dave148 wrote:

at Skokie Patch, George Castle wrote:Steve Pavlopoulos’ first choice of Skokie for his produce-meats store was deferred for more than 20 years. Now that it will come to fruition by year’s end, the opening of a third Produce World at a site on Skokie Boulevard will put it across from the long-established Jewel. The result could start a mini-grocery war.

http://skokie.patch.com/articles/new-ki ... -in-skokie

Skokie branch is now open.
9426 Skokie Blvd.
Skokie, IL 60077
(847) 763-1125

Skokie store has closed. Confirmed by a recent drive by along with a phone call to the Morton Grove store.

Dave148 wrote:Skokie store has closed. Confirmed by a recent drive by along with a phone call to the Morton Grove store.

I noticed that they had closed on my last visit to the Skokie Lao Sze Chuan. The store is now vacant.

Drag. I used to multi task at the various stores in that strip mall. I am not surprised as the store was never crowded. The deli was a maller version of the store on Dempster but it did seem to offer a few different deli items and breads.

Produce World is closing its Morton Grove location on Dempster Street at Harlem Avenue, the Journal and Topics Reports.

Produce World Closing Within Weeks

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I knew they were toast when I went in there two weeks ago on a Saturday morning at 10 a.m., and there were only 10 customers in the store. The guy working the meat counter was slumped over the case with a depressed look on his face.
They were surrounded by H Mart, Mariano's, and Heinen's, with Fresh Farms not too far away either.
They had some good items and some good prices. I will miss the option.

TomInSkokie wrote:They had some good items and some good prices. I will miss the option.

Like what?

Lenny007 wrote:

TomInSkokie wrote:They had some good items and some good prices. I will miss the option.

Like what?

Damato's bread. Items mentioned in posts above, especially Greek stuff I couldn't find anywhere else.
Best price on walnuts around.
Never underestimate the value of a handful of walnuts on some oatmeal in the morning.

TomInSkokie wrote:

Lenny007 wrote:

TomInSkokie wrote:They had some good items and some good prices. I will miss the option.

Like what?

Damato's bread. Items mentioned in posts above, especially Greek stuff I couldn't find anywhere else.
Best price on walnuts around.
Never underestimate the value of a handful of walnuts on some oatmeal in the morning.

I felt pretty comfortable inside that small store on the corner of Dempster and Waukegan, but I was also one of their vendors. Kind of like ethnic 7/11. They killed it all by themselves. And Barry, the owner of Jerry's hasn't even noticed they expanded But Produce World is not the first victim in Dempster - Golf - Waukegan - Greenwood rectangle, rather the last one.

Lenny007 wrote:I felt pretty comfortable inside that small store on the corner of Dempster and Waukegan, but I was also one of their vendors. Kind of like ethnic 7/11. They killed it all by themselves. And Barry, the owner of Jerry's hasn't even noticed they expanded But Produce World is not the first victim in Dempster - Golf - Waukegan - Greenwood rectangle, rather the last one.

I loved that old store on Waukegan. I was working up the street at Kraft, and I almost always went home via the old Produce World. It was the first place I found where I could order a goat to roast. Loved it. Would probably have continued to shop at the larger store if I hadn't moved farther away. Visited a couple of times, but too far for regular visits. Nice store, but definitely on the quiet side. Sorry to see any store close, since I know it affects so many people -- including the vendors.

Cynthia wrote:

Lenny007 wrote:I felt pretty comfortable inside that small store on the corner of Dempster and Waukegan, but I was also one of their vendors. Kind of like ethnic 7/11. They killed it all by themselves. And Barry, the owner of Jerry's hasn't even noticed they expanded But Produce World is not the first victim in Dempster - Golf - Waukegan - Greenwood rectangle, rather the last one.

I loved that old store on Waukegan.

Me too . . . immensely. It was a destination.

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I was a regular customer for their fruits & vegetables, which I knew from being in the business were higher-quality than normal and totally reasonably-priced, which is a function of good street buying off South Water Market.

But they had killer souvlaki--chicken, beef, pork, all perfectly marinated. Miss it.

When I commuted from Des Plaines and Mount Prospect to Skokie, the old store was my regular place to pick up dinner fixin's: occasional the souvlaki JNM mentions, often ground lamb (among the cheapest places to get it, usually), cheeses, fruit, etc. I changed jobs around the same time they moved so stopped dropping in as frequently (I doubt the loss of my trade was the nail in the coffin -- it wouldn't have been a dozen+ years), but the bigger store definitely lost the old character: by carrying more, they became less distinct, more generic. Their usefulness was definitely limited for me by the proximity of Assi Plaza (with a distinct lack of cheese) and then Fresh Farms (Golf), to the point where they generally weren't considered when I had destination shopping in mind such as party prep.

They may have been struggling for a while: They'd opened a store in Skokie in Fashion Square (Skokie Blvd south of Golf, where LSC is), that closed -- I think -- in the last year. Losses like that can have long-term ripples.