Tops to open store on Syracuse's Southside
 / Lisa Spitz
SYRACUSE -- Tops Friendly Markets is opening up a grocery store in the Valley Plaza on South Salina Street, and it's a welcome addition to Syracuse's Southside.
This vacant building, once a P&C supermarket, is where the new store will be.
"That's good because I have to go far out to get a head of lettuce, so that's real good. It's about time they brought a supermarket back to the Valley, so I’m happy about it," says Jeannette Parlin, a local shopper.
The new store is expected to bring up to 100 new jobs and will be renovated over the next few months.
"I think it's really good because there's no other grocery store around here and it's hard for people that don't drive because they can't bring all their groceries on the bus with them so it's a really good thing for them," says Dina Krasowky, a local shopper.
According to President and CEO Frank Curci, this location will pay special attention to the needs of the community. There will be special emphasis on locally grown produce.
"We really believe very much in this area, that it holds opportunity for us. This particular store has a lot of opportunity. It's an under served market," says Curci. "The thing that we look for is people who are not currently served well by the supermarket industry and here we think there's great opportunity for us to have a vibrant store."
There's also hope the new grocery store will bring other tenants to this plaza. The grocery store is scheduled to open at the end of this year.