Downtown grocery store may yet bounce back

City officials are not ready to throw in the towel on the grocery store they hoped would serve downtown for years to come. Bristol's Marketplace closed this spring after a falling out between its owners, but it may not be gone for good. "Hope is still alive," said Frank Johnson, chairman of the nonprofit Bristol Downtown Development Corp. "Oh, absolutely," said Ryan Porter, the project manager for the Long Island-based Renaissance Downtown that seeks to redevelop the former mall property. Porter played a crucial role in getting the new store up and running last year after the city demolished Discount Food Outlet, the last remaining municipally-owned building on the mall site. Porter said a partnership dispute led to problems for the new store, but he hopes they can be worked out so the store can reopen. He said is "fairly confident" it will remain as a grocery store. He said the store is fitted out for selling groceries now and the spot has already proven it can draw customers. Porter said that in its early months, it drew more customers than DFO, though their orders were typically a little smaller than the previous store.
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