When rumors spread about the demise of your neighborhood grocery store, you go to great lengths to address them, especially if you’re the owner. When Steve McKenzie, owner of the Jenifer Street Market in Madison, heard that his store would close by year’s end, it came as news to him, especially since he’ still trying to buy the building it’s housed in.
According to an article in The Capital Times, McKenzie attended a gathering of east-side residents last week to reassure people in the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association that SASY, as it’s fondly known, was not about to become a food island.
The meeting, held Nov. 14 at Goodman Community Center, was attended by about 50 people who also were told that McKenzie is doing everything he can to acquire the property. Interested buyers will be able to make bids on the property during a Dec. 16 auction at the Madison Concourse Hotel.
McKenzie notes that Jennifer Street Market still has a lease that will have to be honored by whomever buys the building. The fate of the 10,000-square-foot store has become a concern since Schoep’s Ice Cream, the previous building owner, filed for receivership.
