I live in Harlem.  I'm on 117th street and 8th Ave, just north of Central Park, which starts at 110th street.  I did my university here in Harlem and have lived here since graduating save for a brief stint in Virginia for graduate school.  Harlem is home.

One thing my area of Harlem is missing, though, is good a grocery store.  Ask any neighbor on the street or read any of the community blogs, and you'll quickly pick up on a common sentiment: we need a good community grocery store. 

You have options, of course; it's just that most of the good ones require you to schlepp some 20 blocks in this direction or that, spending far too much time in transit or carrying heavy bags. There are delis on every corner, true, but those have as limited a selection you would expect from a.... corner deli.  The point is that here on 117th street and 8th, in my own community, we didn't have a satisfying option.

A few days ago, fortunately, the Best Yet Supermarket opened.  The best part is that it is right across the street.

You walk inside and you're immediately engulfed by the smell of fresh produce, warm bread, and whole coffee beans.  Behind the counter are young people from the community, being managed by slightly older people from the community.  Walking through the aisles and standing in line to checkout are other members of the community.  It's a beautiful thing.

On my first visit, the young employee behind the cash register had a little trouble performing the checkout, but after a second, she got it to work.  It was her first week; i tried to be patient.

On my second visit to the Best Yet Supermarket, I noticed another member of the community wearing a suit and standing by the exit doors.  Apparently the sliding mechanism wasn't working on the door, so he was there to open it manually until the repairs were made.  I thought to myself, "So they've got kinks to work out. Seems normal to me. At least everyone is smiling and we know there's a work-in-progress for the community."

But enough about Tienda -- err, I mean Harlem.  I need to get back to work.

As promised (in our blog post Radio Silence is Baaaaaad) we're holding regular webinars in 2010 to showcase our extensions and answer questions live.

The very first of these sessions is scheduled for this Wednesday, February 10th at 1:00PM EST. We will be presenting TIENDA, our new eCommerce extension.

Please join us by signing up today.

We would love to hear your questions and feedback live!