“Anything you need, you can find it at the market” - Frick Park Market Opens its Doors to Chatham Students
This Blog was contributed by our Food Innovation Lab Graduate Student, Calla Norman.
David and Katie (Photo source: URA)
When I first moved to Pittsburgh to attend Chatham’s Food Studies graduate program, I had no idea I’d moved in just down the block from a piece of the city’s food history. On Reynolds Street in the Point Breeze neighborhood, spitting distance from Pittsburgh’s Frick Museum, Frick Park, and Homewood Cemetery, there’s a black awning with Frick Park Market emblazoned on it under which you can see people hanging out under picnic umbrellas on a nice day.
In my walks through the neighborhood, I’d seen people sitting at patio tables out front, eating sandwiches and drinking sodas, but never stopped in to see what it was like. My own laziness got the better of me, despite the fact that I’d always wanted to live walking distance from a neighborhood market where I could stop in, become a regular, that sort of thing. Then, last summer, Frick Park Market temporarily closed down for a change in ownership and renovations and I was crestfallen that I might have missed my chance to visit it.
Then, this March, Chatham’s Business of Food and Agriculture class had the opportunity to tour Frick Park Market, meet the new owners David and Katie Gancy, and ask questions about what it’s like to own a food business. The Gancys had worked with CRAFT’s Food Innovation Lab on some projects, such as participating in the Food Media Day and getting some consulting on their online menu, and they graciously hosted our class for an entire morning, just a week after they opened.
It was a beautiful, sunny morning that was just cold enough, and as we gathered at Frick Park Market, David kept offering us coffees and pastries from the market before we’d even stepped inside. Once the class had all shown up, we went in. Now, I’d never been inside before, but from what my classmates and David have said, it’s a major difference from what it once was. The wood floors have been replaced with black-and-white checked linoleum. The walls are now painted white, making the small space light and airy. A set of coolers stocks sodas, local eggs and milk, and other local products. Behind the counter is their 50-year-old Slushee machine. There’s a tiny kitchen in the back that David let us peek into while he cooked some eggs for breakfast sandwiches, and many of us were amazed at the wood-paneled walk-in cooler.
First, we learned about the history of Frick Park Market. The building is as old as 1900, and was first an A&P, then a pharmacy, and in the 1940s was bought by the Fuchs family. Ronnie Fuchs, one of the former owners, joined us for the tour (“We brought in a ringer,” said Katie about him). Ronnie’s art is all over the store, including a gorgeous painting based on an old newspaper clipping about the market that’s also hanging on a wall. It passed through a few owners since Ronnie and his brother Robert sold it in 2000, but he’s always been a mainstay at the market - he even still lives right around the corner. The Gancys bought the market in 2021 as their next venture after owning the Red Oak restaurant in Oakland.
Even though they’ve made some major changes to the market, they’re keeping true to the business’s legacy - from the Fuchs family’s roots to the contemporary popularity of the market as a landmark for Mac Miller fans. The rapper grew up a few blocks from Frick Park Market and was a regular there as a kid. He famously filmed a music video at the Frick Park Market, and the Gancys told us they’re excited to welcome in Mac fans who often take a pilgrimage to different locations that were meaningful to him, such as Frick Park Market and Blue Slide Park. They’re even planning to eventually renovate the apartments upstairs as AirBnBs for fans who want to actually stay at Frick Park Market.
After equipping us all with coffees and croissants, David took us into his biggest addition to the market - the adjoining garage he renovated himself. The garage, which was formerly used for storage, is now paneled with barn wood sourced from Construction Junction, the walls covered with more of Ronnie’s art, and filled with comfortable seating. I personally can’t wait until it’s consistently warm enough for customers to be able to hang out in the garage, soon! In the garage, David told us his story. He’s had a long career in hospitality, working everywhere from Colorado to Hawaii to Switzerland. “Learn from the best before sticking it out on your own,” he told us, while also showing us an invoice from his time working at restaurant Daniel in New York City in the ‘90s, which tallied up into the tens of thousands!
He also told us of some of his entrepreneurial endeavors that didn’t quite go as expected. When he owned Red Oak, he developed a product that was a mixture of tea, yogurt, and oats which he decided to package and distribute. The product didn’t end up selling as hoped, but David told us it was a valuable experience for him to learn about the co-packing industry. He said he could potentially bring it back as a product at Frick Park Market, but that is to be determined.
At that point, David went to mind the store, and Katie talked with us a bit more about the process of opening the market. They had originally planned to open in October, but the renovations and construction costs had kept them busy. As happens with opening a business they ended up needing more capital. “Do things as cheaply as possible,” said Katie, “And try to go into it with more working capital than you think you’ll need.” They tried banks and CDFIs, but they couldn’t get funding from them, a sad reality for many mom-and-pop restaurants out there.
Eventually, The Frick Park Market team had received a $100,000 loan from the URA for equipment and working capital, which helped them open. The market is now open, but they have even more plans to improve upon the space, including an outdoor seating area in the market’s backyard. The tour ended with some of Frick Park Market’s sandwiches (that kale chicken caesar panini, though - called the “Carnegie” on the menu!), and some pleasant socializing - you could really tell that building a sense of camaraderie around the business is important to the Gancys.
“I want to work with grace and ease,” David told us, as his approach to business is one of patience and kindness. This is apparent to me, through the hospitality the Gancys extended our class. A couple of weeks later, I was out and about and decided to pop in - the lights were on and I thought they were still open, but as it turns out they’d just closed and were having a little soiree of friends and neighbors (including the ever-present Ronnie). David recognized me from the tour and still welcomed me in so I could buy a pop, and he even gave me a small bag of popcorn as I went on my way. I’m excited to see how Frick Park Market grows and opens up as springtime finally comes to Point Breeze, and can’t wait to see people gracing the sidewalk tables once more - and this time around, I plan to join them.