This downtown grocery is doubling in size and adding more organics, meat and parking

Downtown Fresno’s grocery scene is about to kick it up a notch when Smart & Final debuts its expansion next week.

The store at 631 H St., at the corner of Ventura Street, has expanded to more than double its size to 27,000 square feet. That number includes a bigger store, more parking and a new loading dock.

The store will also convert to a Smart & Final Extra! That means it will be geared toward families doing their weekly shopping, along with its traditional customers who run businesses or otherwise buy large quantities of goods.

The changes include expanded frozen, deli and meat departments and a full produce section, including organics. Smart and Final will also sell oven-roasted chickens and have a bulk section with nuts, cereals and other foods.

The store will also add 6,000 items in its larger club sizes.

Smart and Final will carry a large selection of private label brands, including First Street, Sun Harvest and La Romanella.

Hours will expand from the current 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The revamped store is expected to debut Wednesday, Dec. 13.

The changes make Smart & Final a bigger player in the downtown grocery scene. Downtown is an area where residents have long called for more supermarket options. With more people moving into downtown lofts and apartments, their options include Grocery Outlet and FoodMaxx. Another privately owned market is in the works near Divisadero Street and Van Ness Ave.

Although there is still work to be done at Smart & Final, workers were stocking the newly added shelves Tuesday.

When it’s finished, it will be similar to the Smart & Final Extra! stores at Clinton and Blackstone avenues or the Shaw and Willow avenues store in the former Fresh & Easy.

This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 11:46 AM with the headline "This downtown grocery is doubling in size and adding more organics, meat and parking."