Schwartz Market Alive and…Well, Hoping to Sell

Staff Blogs by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Written by Diana Nelson Jones

Schwartz Market

Since I reported in May that Schwartz Market had a buyer, shoppers have assumed that the little store on East Carson Street had gone out of business.

Not so! Schwartz Market at 1317 E. Carson, is alive and wants you to know it will remain alive until a buyer actually comes through. An IGA grocer had signed a letter of intent in May but backed out of the deal because the building needed upgrades that the building owners have not made.

The building is owned by family of the founding grocers, who once operated six Schwartz Markets in the city. The South Side market, which is on Facebook, has been in operation since the 1920s.

Marty and Audrey Dorfner and Rick and Donna Stanton bought the business in 1985 and have operated it continuously since.

“My goal is to retire after 54 years in this [grocery] business,” said Marty, who has another grocer showing interest in the store.

Until then, said Donna, “We will be here because we want the neighborhood to be served.”

They are gearing up to meet your holidays needs with the kielbasa and sausages for which they are known.

My article was based on information that made the deal appear to be a sure thing. A lot of articles in the paper are anticipatory, such as economic development groundbreakings on ground that three years later have yet to see another shovel.

It’s one thing when there’s nothing there anyway; it’s another when a business suffers as a result. Our city neighborhoods need small retailers; remember to support them in these lean times.