The Grove Expands As It Follows The Demographics

Miami Beach…Shlomo (Sol) Goldman appears to be a student of demographics as he continues to build his network of kosher independent supermarkets. He sensed an opportunity in Detroit when the Hiller’s Market closed in 2015 and opened his first Grove store. He took advantage of attempts to open a large supermarket in Cleveland and has dotted the Florida landscape as the state became a growing enclave for people who require kosher food in addition to the large number of snowbirds and vacationers. His stores are now in Hollywood, Delray Beach, Boca Raton and Surfside. He is gearing up to make a large number of deliveries to Orlando where some 50,000 vacationers are expected over Passover. The Surfside store is like his other stores right on the main shopping street of Harding Avenue. “I believe in making it convenient for the local community to shop and there is no better way than on a main commercial street,” says Goldman. With its many shopping options and kosher restaurants, Harding Avenue has become Miami’s kosher hub. In recent years, it has moved North from the iconic Arthur Godfrey Road. The well-designed store has a magnificent array of kosher wines and an impressive takeout section. Yet Shlomo touts its convenience which may very well be the model for his future expansion. Shlomo chuckles when he recalls his modest beginning as the manager of a small store in the Bayit Vegan Bungalow Colony in Ellenville, NY in the Catskills. You might say that Shlomo has come a long way!