TOUR: Bravo Supermarkets - Lancaster, PA

Bravo Supermarkets

Owner: Marcela Marquez

Opened: 2017

Previous Tenants: county offices

Cooperative: Krasdale Foods

Location: 225 W King St, Lancaster, PA

Photographed: August 20, 2019

We're on the other side of downtown Lancaster from Friday's CTown for a look at that owners' other store, a 8700 square foot Bravo just to the west of the downtown center. This building was occupied for many years by county offices (and, personally, I wouldn't be surprised if it was built as a retail store of some kind originally) and was taken over by these owners to open it as a Bravo in 2017.

The store is looking really good, but lacks some of the warmth of the CTown. That's partially because it wasn't as crowded, meaning it didn't feel quite so lively. But it's also that this store's decor overall tends to be more gray than beige, giving it a colder feel. Compare this flooring and the color of the walls, for instance, to the CTown's. Notice how that store's flooring is more brown and the walls are more beige, whereas both are more gray here.

That's not to say this isn't an attractive store. It's set up almost exactly like the CTown, with the deli in the front right corner, produce and meat in the first aisle on the right, service butcher and dairy on the back wall, and frozen in the last aisle on the left.

I like these hanging signs over the first aisle, and I also appreciate that there was some thought put into decor for this small store. Sometimes, because the walls get lost in the overall design, the decor becomes an afterthought.

Packaged meat and seafood are at the back of the first aisle, with the service butcher on the back wall.

Despite the store's size, it felt plenty spacious, although I assume if it ever gets crowded it doesn't feel so spacious anymore.

Fully-stocked grocery aisles in the center store area.

Unlike Brothers Foodmax, it doesn't look like any of the fixtures here were brought in secondhand. Neither was the decor.

I visited this store back in 2019, just as Krasdale was beginning to launch their newly-redesigned packages. On the left is the old one, and on the right is the new one. Although I like the new design, the old one was immediately recognizable -- at least to a lot of people from the New York City metro area.

I think the ceiling is also lower here than in the CTown, which changes the feel of the store.

And that's all for this Bravo! Always nice to see new, small but complete supermarkets coming into any urban areas, especially where people are largely on foot. Up next, we'll be seeing something very different in the northern part of the city. Head over to The Independent Edition tomorrow to check it out!