Donta Rose, 28, owns a new $5 million local Grocery Outlet in North Philadelphia. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, he cut the ribbon for his grocery outlet store in the $52 million Sharswood Ridge Shopping Center.
Donta plans to manage the facility with the help of his family and friends, as well as Grocery Outlet, which has over 400 stores nationwide.
Many of his staff are from the local community. “While we want to be a successful business, we also want to be connected to the community,” said Melanie Rose, Donta’s mother. “You know what’s going on in Philadelphia. You know how there’s so much crime and so much violence and so many people taking it out on each other instead of building within each other. That’s why we’re here — not to say, ‘We have a grocery store,’ but we want the community to know that we are from here.”
Donta has worked for Grocery Outlet since completing his engineering studies at Morgan State University. He designed stores for the outlet, which was expanding into the Philadelphia area at the time.
After seeing a list of future stores and seeing one earmarked for opening at 21st Street and Ridge Avenue in the Sharswood section of North Philadelphia, he became interested in owning a franchise store.
“That’s where we’re from. I know the neighborhood. I know how unique this neighborhood is, because if you go four blocks over, you’re on Temple’s campus, and if you go five blocks down, you’re in Brewerytown. It became really important for me to be in a community that we’re familiar with,” Rose said.
To open a discount franchise in California, he used his savings and “a nice, hefty loan.” The store stocks a wide variety of meats, dairy products, frozen foods, and produce. Donta is especially proud to deliver fresh food four days a week.
The store has a parking garage and will be a popular walking destination for many locals.