The Arizona Republic has a story about Gastromé, described as "a highly anticipated new luxury grocery store in Scottsdale" that opened last weekend.
Some context:
"After moving to metro Phoenix from Boston in 2018, owners Jenny Le and Tiffany Chavez dreamt of opening a specialty store similar to Dean and Deluca or Eataly to offer cheese, wine and imported and hard-to-find luxury food items.
"That dream has materialized with the opening of a 3,500-square-foot market (and soon to open 1,500 square foot restaurant) where they sell an impressive array of cheeses, wines, pantry items, bread and fresh cut flowers."
Chavez has been quoted as saying, "“We want you to take your time when you come here – we’re not your traditional wine and cheese shop. You can come in and grab a quick bottle on-the-go, or sit down, have a glass of wine or Champagne and chat with us about everything from food pairing suggestions to our favorite wine varieties."
The Republic writes, "Education is a big part of the high-end service the pair hope to provide. 'We’ve worked hard to create an inclusive environment where you can feel free to ask whatever you want – you won’t find any stuffiness or intimidation here,' said Lee."
- KC's View:
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Well, good luck to them … even in Scottsdale, I would imagine that this is not the best economic climate in which to open a store like this. For one thing, money is tighter than usual … and for another, labor is tight, and a format like this seems to be dependent on a lot of labor. I hope it works.
