Shadyside Market & Deli closing Walnut Street doors after 69 years
Ken Lehn would often grab an apple from Shadyside Market & Deli without paying.
“As I walked out the door, I would say, ‘Hey Sara, can you please add this to my account?’ ” Lehn, of Shadyside, said Monday. “And she would.”
Co-owner Sara Mineo handles the books at the Walnut Street business in Shadyside — all handwritten as there is no computer. Mineo has been there so long she stores customer information in her head.
“Where else can you just walk in, take something, and do that?” asked Lehn, a customer for 30 years. He lamented the prospect of finding another store.
The market, which has been a staple in the heart of the neighborhood for nearly seven decades, is closing by the end of September.
“It’s time,” said Mineo, who owns the business with her younger brother, Dominic Mineo. “I thought we would be done laboring by Labor Day, but we will be open a little longer in September.”
On Aug. 1, the Mineo family celebrated 69 years owning the market. Their father Joe and mother Jennie opened the business in 1952 at 5509 Walnut St. They purchased the building at the current location at 5414 Walnut St., near South Aiken Avenue, in the mid-1970s. It was a former Mobil gas station.
They added the deli in the mid-1980s.
The siblings have been talking about closing for about a year. They work six days a week, as the market is closed on Sunday.
The Mineos, cousins to the well-known pizza family, are looking forward to spending more time with their children and grandchildren. Dominic Mineo recently turned 68. Sara Mineo turns 69 on Oct. 22. They are two of four children — their brothers Johnny and Joey have since passed away.
“We missed a lot of life events,” Sara Mineo said. “I am definitely going to miss the relationships we have with our customers. Generations of families have shopped here. We have made friends here so we will still see some of our customers.”
Dominic Mineo agreed the customers are wonderful.
“But this business has taken over our lives,” he said. “It’s more than a job when you own a business like this. I have 10 grandchildren who I want to spend more time with.”
A few people have come forward asking about the business. They are open to offers and would love for it to remain a market.
Sara Mineo recalled when she and her brother, then ages 11 and 10, would take two busses from their Penn Hills home on Saturdays to help their dad at the store.
“I think people shop here because of the quality of our products, from the fresh produce to top-of-the-line meats,” said Sara Mineo. “We have the basics, bread and milk, as well as a number of specialty items and the deli. It’s also convenient and nice for the community to have a neighborhood store like this.”
It certainly is, said Lehn.
“I am praying Sara will change her mind about closing,” Lehn said. “I was blown away when I heard that. I am not sure where I am going to shop now. There is nothing else like this around here.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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