Grocery Outlet is coming to Rosedale

A major discount grocery retailer will establish one of its newest regional locations in Rosedale.

Replacing Price Rite supermarket, which closed last October, Grocery Outlet is slated to be the latest addition to the Rosedale Plaza shopping center.

While it operated, Price Rite was the anchor for other businesses in Rosedale Plaza, which include a Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Subway, Snipes, a laundromat, cleaners, Chinese carryout, a liquor store and more.

Grocery Outlet will soon serve the same purpose, and is set to open in the late summer — early fall at the worst — confirmed District 6 Councilman Mike Ertel. It will be located at 1753 Chesaco Ave. in Rosedale.

From the time Price Rite Rosedale market closed, which has been about eight months, hundreds of residents in the vicinity are in a food desert. The next-closest grocers are Giant, Walmart and Aldi.

As Price Rite neared its closure in fall 2023, Ertel met with county government officials to explore alternatives that served in the best interest of local residents.

Ertel’s jurisdiction covers Fullerton, Hillendale, Hazelwood, Loch Raven Village, Middle River, Overlea, Parkville, Rosedale and Towson.

After speaking extensively with community members and gathering feedback, Ertel concluded that the residents of that area desired to see a full-service grocery store as the Price Rite successor. While a bargain grocer like Grocery Outlet wasn’t quite what local residents were looking for, it still makes for a sufficient replacement.

“While it’s not as big and what kind of we wanted, it’s really who would fill the space. But it’s a very nice product,” Ertel said, adding that he and his colleagues are working with the ownership of Rosedale Plaza, which includes managing member Bob Stella, to solicit help for parking lot and face improvements, thus enhancing the overall image of the market and shopping center.

“We’re hoping that it’s a decent replacement for what was there, and hopefully an upgrade. I think it’s going to be a nicer looking market.”

Grocery Outlet, which has nearly 500 stores nationwide and seems to be constantly expanding, will occupy a smaller footprint than Price Rite.

Stella, managing member for the ownership group of the plaza, Rosedale Plaza Associates, reportedly confirmed that the store signed a lease for roughly 20,000 square feet.

“I think it’s a blessing for ownership and a blessing for the community that they salvaged the grocery store,” Stella told the Baltimore Business Journal.

The Rosedale Grocery Outlet market will be Baltimore County’s third location. The other two Grocery Outlet establishments, located in Owings Mills and Catonsville, opened in 2023.

Unlike Price Rite, Grocery Outlet will not have a pharmacy, Ertel said. He found out that the new grocer would be coming to Rosedale in early spring.

Though he and others tried to attract interest from a larger grocery retailer to purchase or lease the vacant space at 1753 Chesaco Ave., there was little to no appeal largely due to the location of the shopping center, Ertel pointed out.

Rosedale Plaza is nestled in the middle of a residential area as opposed to a major roadway or thoroughfare such as Pulaski Highway, Philadelphia Road or off of I-695. The area of Rosedale Plaza simply doesn’t warrant the commotion and vehicle and foot traffic that would likely attract a more prominent grocer.

“Optimally, that’s what we would have liked to have seen, but the reality is the market is going to dictate [the outcome],” Ertel said. “You don’t really have a big business crowd there during the day, so your prime business hours are going to be 3:00 to 8:00 or something.”

Regardless of the outcome, Ertel remains optimistic and is glad to see a new market coming to Rosedale. With the construction of a new school and a development underway on McCormick Avenue, the neighborhood may see upward growth and activity.

“The good news here is we think it’s going to be a nice shopping experience for people. I think it’s going to be an upgrade from the Price Rite,” he said.

“I think the future is bright for this shopping center. It’s only going to get better.”