Respected parish grocer buys parcels
By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – When the Fremaux Town Center opened its doors on March 14, 2014, it started the clock ticking on a problem that many predicted Slidell officials would face—the demise of Slidell’s first official shopping mall called North Shore Square.
As more-and-more commercial clients signed up to become part of the Town Center, now a thriving mall for the region with over 100 businesses, Social Media comments went wild with predictions of an abandoned site on Northshore Boulevard.
Unfortunately, the predictions came true.
With each passing year, more of the North Shore Square tenants left, finally causing the owner, Morguard out of Canada, to shut down the entire inside shopping area. All that remained were four or five anchor tenants, mostly ones that came and went, before recent years left the scene many predicted—an abandoned eyesore for Slidell.
Each succeeding Slidell mayor promised to make it a priority to find a way to revitalize the area. Only in the past year did there appear to be some kind of hope when City Councilman Bill Borchert got backing from the council that funded a study that teamed with the St. Tammany Economic Development Corporation. The results said the city should buy the mall to be in control, with the best possible tenant being a distribution center or events center—two huge ideas that would take years to happen.
As all of that activity was going on, something was working behind the scenes—started years ago by the Acquistapace grocery family in St. Tammany Parish—who eventually saw the North Shore Square as the site they had sought.
“My dad always said, from years ago, that we needed to get to the east side of the parish,” said Adam Acquistapace. “We have been looking at the Slidell area for years. We came close to purchasing some locations, but it never worked out.
“Then over two years ago we started talking about the North Shore mall and it seemed like that might be right for us,” he added.
Acquistapace ran into plenty of hurdles with Morguard, but this past week confirmed the family has now purchased two of the large anchor spots at the mall, buying the former Conn’s HomePlus site that is 75,000 square feet, as well as the former JC Penney’s building right next door, which is 85,000 square feet.
The family spokesman and most visible face of the company said the current Acquistapace Wine Warehouse, near Gause Boulevard, will move there by the end of the year, just the first step in major plans to add a grocery store and more. The first opening should be dramatic since the current Slidell wine store is only 15,000 square feet, but the smallest of the two parcels purchased is 75,000 square feet.
“We’re going to have some surprising things to add to the Wine Warehouse when we open the first phase,” he remarked. “Then more will come after that.”
With various options for the mall that were tossed out in recent years, then the study results, the head of the St. Tammany economic development department sees Acquistapace as a great move for Slidell.
“Considering where the North Shore Square mall was at with the city, this is a real positive for Slidell and the community,” said St. Tammany Economic Development Corporation CEO Russell Richardson. “It opens up possibilities that are still to be imagined, and it positively looks like an excellent first step for mixed uses there.”
The Acquistapace family has been in the grocery store business for decades, with Steve Acquistapace, Adam’s dad, opening the popular Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket in 1963. Since then, they opened a smaller grocery store version in Mandeville before stepping into Slidell for the first time with the Wine Warehouse. Both Adam and his brother Erik handle most of the day-to-day operations, with Steve still playing a key role as well.
However, Adam Acquistapace said the big move to purchase approximately one-quarter of the North Shore Square mall site, including the two out-front anchor spaces, will be the start of some big things for the site, especially considering the huge amount of square footage they have to deal with.
“We’ve been trying to find the right spot in Slidell for years. We tried to buy the ALDI space on North Shore Boulevard five years ago and it didn’t work out,” he said.
Finally closing on the property at the first Slidell mall was no easy chore, especially considering the fact Morguard had seemed hesitant to sell much of the center for years, according to more than one Slidell mayor.
Once the study was finished early last year, Borchert pushed for the city to purchase the space and had a pending deal with Morguard to acquire the entire space for $13 million. However, that possible agreement moved to the side when news was revealed last fall that a “private St. Tammany business” had a contract for two large spaces.
That turned out to be Acquistapace, which is bringing a longtime St. Tammany business to Slidell in a big way, something that includes a major commitment to the eastern side of the parish, just as they did on the west.
“For us to buy this property in Slidell and hopefully start a revitalization of this area is not just about us. We approach it by thinking what is in the best interest for Slidell,” Acquistapace said. “We live in a great community in St. Tammany Parish and it’s very important for us to be a part of that.
“I do believe this will draw other businesses—our plan is to make this a destination. We’re good at what we do and you will see that we will be the best neighbor to Slidell they have ever had.”
For Acquistapace stores to not only survive, but thrive in St. Tammany Parish as a locally owned grocery store, facing the likes of Walmart, Amazon and others, is a testament to what the store offers.
Acquistapace said the stores have their share of conventional grocery store items, but their specialty and unique offerings are a big reason for their success.
“We have local products, incredible meat selections, an award-winning wine and spirits selection and one of the largest cheese selections in the South. Then, we also have all sorts of specialty items as well. The Slidell store is going to be a combination of all the stores and we will draw from Mississippi, as well as the region,” he predicted.
Acquistapace said they have three phases to the project already in the works, with the first to be open by the end of the year.
Comments are closed.