Those living in Victoria Park and Downtown Ft. Lauderdale will soon have a new 'upscale' grocery store to shop.  The Fresh Market is currently building a new store on US1, south of Sunrise Blvd and North of Broward Blvd.  We actually drove by that area last weekend and noticed that the old bike shop and some other buildings were torn down.  News surfaced today in Sun-Sentinel what the plans are for that land.

The $10 million will not only house The Fresh Market, but will also contain a bank and a restaurant.  I can't locate what bank or what restaurant yet, but will let you know as soon as I do.

The Fresh Market currently has a few other locations around South Florida, including Coral Springs, Miami and Boca Raton.  I've never been to a store...but from what I can find, it's supposed to have a great 'prepared food' department with more of a 'European Market' feel throughout the store.  It will have a butcher and cheese department with more of an 'upscale' feel.  The main grocery area will also have more of your 'hard to find' items.  I'm almost thinking it's like a smaller Whole Foods...with a more 'intimate' feel.

With construction just starting, I don't think we will see an opening until at least November-December.  It's great to see all of the construction going on in Ft. Lauderdale's retail sector.  Publix has a new store on E. Sunrise (by the Galleria Mall) that is due to open very soon.