NEW ORLEANS - The Marigny neighborhood is getting its grocery store back and, hopefully, by the end of 2017.
Robert's Fresh Market on St. Claude Avenue is re-opening in the city. The grocery store closed after Hurricane Katrina and a legal battle between Marc Robert and the owner of the land kept it that way for years.
"A lot of stores closed down. We got to go out of our way to go to the store," explains Richard Nelson, who has lived in the area for 37 years. Richard says he has to walk about 10 blocks to get groceries but when Robert's reopens, he will only have to walk about two. Richard is excited and so are other neighbors.
"We don't have anything. It's been crucial for 12 years," says David Berni who travels 20 minutes to grocery shop.
Construction on the Robert's Fresh Market is slated to begin Thursday, January 26, 2017. It is expected to last about a year but Marc Roberts, owner of Robert's Fresh Market, says the goal is to open before the 2017 holiday season.
"It's really coming back this time. It feels fantastic," says Roberts.
"I think it'll be good for the neighborhood to have a store close by," adds Nelson.