New store opens in former Giant Eagle space in Summit Towne Centre

This article is part of a recurring series that updates the status of properties of interest in the Erie area. Have a suggestion? Email jmartin@timesnews.com .

Breeanna Gorman, manager of the new Family Farm & Home in the Summit Towne Center, said she spent more than a half an hour Tuesday talking with a customer about a beloved dog.

Another employee, she said, found time to chat with a dairy farmer. There was a discussion about bringing the calf by the Peach Street store for a visit.

Those interactions — combined with lots of people walking through the doors — made for a good day when the store at 7200 Peach St. opened for the first time Tuesday.

"We are off to a good start, We are picking up steam," Gorman said. "The doors are open and we are busy."

Gorman, who said she started her career at a major big box retailer, said those chats with customers explain her preference for the family-owned retailer, which operates 73 stores in five states.

"I am from a big, big retailer," she said. "I did take a step back and tried to find somewhere that I can fit in, someplace that really matters and treats you like family. Not only do we treat team members like family, but when you walk in you are greeted with a smile. They are going to ask about your pets, your project or you yourself."

Renovations on the new 27,000-square-foot store have been underway for months. Even before the store opened this week, Gorman said the Michigan-based company has been reaching out to the community and helped to paint the grandstand this summer at the Wattsburg Fairgrounds.

"It was definitely big for us, being a new store," she said.

More: Family Home & Farm store coming to former Giant Eagle space in Summit Towne Centre

What can you find at Family Farm & Home?

Family Farm & Home, which also operates a store in Vernon Township, near Meadville, is a farm-focused retailer that emphasizes lawn and garden, hardware and feed and supplies for both livestock and pets.

More: Giant Eagle closed Edinboro store almost 2 years ago. What's going into that space?

The store is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Located next door to Roses Discount Store, Family Farm & Home fills a portion of the space once occupied by Giant Eagle. The Pittsburgh-based grocery store closed its Summit Towne Centre location in 2017 and consolidated that store and one on West 26th Street into a new location on Interchange Road.

Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com .

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: New store opens in former Giant Eagle space in Summit Towne Centre