As a new downtown grocery store gets ready to open later this summer, the owners gave a special tour Thursday to a man who worked at one of the original Hart's stores back in the 1930s.
Herb Ouzer got the invitation because he celebrates his 100th birthday on Saturday.
Even though there's still a lot of work to be done, Ouzer was impressed by the size of the new Hart's Local Grocers.
"I think the restrooms here are larger than the store I had ! "
The new Hart's is not directly related to the old Hart's chain, which was last seen in this area in the 1940s, but the new owners want that association with quality and service. When Herb Ouzer first worked for Hart's in the 1930s, he remembers a much different type of grocery store.
"Neighborhood stores, they had no idea of supermarkets, people depended on us for just a quart of milk, a loaf of bread, odds and ends. "
Ouzer started delivering groceries for Hart's out of a little wagon, but eventually worked himself up to be a store manager for the business, and he's glad to see the grocer's name live on. He says downtown is coming back to life and the new store will fit right in. Ouzer, who lives in Brighton, still goes to the gym five days a week, and was able to spend a lot of the tour on Thursday walking under his own power.
There's no specific date yet when Hart's Local Grocers will open up, but the developer says it will happen this summer.
