Danielle Bowman came from Murrysville to check out the newly renovated and rebranded Caffe Barista Marketplace in downtown Greensburg.
Caffe Barista tacked “Marketplace” onto its name with the addition of a fresh-and-local farmers market section, which officially opened Thursday.
“I saw their signs on Facebook, and I think it’s great,” Bowman said. “It’s better than a grocery; it’s small and cute.
“I think I’ll be back,” she said as she and twin daughters, Emerson and Adelyn, 5, left — each carrying a large shopping bag.
The marketplace has been almost a year in the planning and execution, said owner Lisa Hegedus.
“Last summer, I had a vision to help the farmers. I kept plugging away at it, doing things behind the scenes,” she said. “It all came together in the last month.”
Some of the work went on in front of the scenes, as Hegedus’ husband, Ed Hegedus, built shelves and installed cases in the front of the cafe, an area that formerly housed seating. The cafe remained open throughout renovations.
“He did everything. We call him ‘MacGyver,’ because he can fix anything,” Hegedus said of her husband.
“Once we had the vision, it all went together pretty easily,” Ed Hegedus said.
The marketplace section adds a healthy grocery option that was lacking in downtown Greensburg, Lisa Hegedus said.
Featured products include milk from Whoa Nellie Dairy, bread from Friendship Farms and Breadworks, cheeses from Pleasant Lane Farms, eggs from Morrison Farms, meat from Logan Family Farms, assorted produce from Schramm Farms & Orchard and microgreens from Shaffer Farm.
There also are assorted coffees, teas and other specialty items from other local purveyors, including La Vigneta Winery wines.
“It’s been rough with covid,” said Joel Shaffer, owner of Shaffer Farm. “This really helps out the local farmers. I think smaller and local is one of the new waves for farms.”
Hegedus also continues to offer a menu of ready-made sandwiches, pepperoni rolls, salads, breakfast items and baked goods, almost all of which she prepares on site.
She said she hired “several recent retirees from corporate America” as part-time employees, along with a full-time manager, Michelle Drakulic.
“(Fresh and local food) is my passion,” said Drakulic, who’s been working for about two months. “When I came in to interview, it was like we were meant for each other.”
“I’ve been here for 23 years, and it feels like I’m finally able to use every square inch of this rented retail space to its fullest,” Hegedus said. “There’s not one empty space now.”
The project got a boost with a grant from the Main Street Jump-Start Program of the Greensburg Community Development Corporation.
“I’ve been saying for years that we need some kind of little market downtown,” said GCDC Executive Director Ashley Kertes, when Hegedus announced the project in November.
