It’s hard to believe that 6 years have flown by since Ralphs Fresh Fare opened at the Market Lofts in July 2007 becoming Downtown LA’s first mainstream supermarket serving our growing downtown population, which has exceeded 50,000 residents. Now just a couple of blocks down the street at Figueroa and 8th Pl, Smart & Final Extra will officially open its doors for business today, Thursday, July 18 at 7 am. DTLA Rising first reported that Smart & Final was coming to Downtown LA back in March 2012. The store opening comes shortly after another specialty market called Urban Radish just opened on July 4th in the Arts District. Two markets opening in the same month? Downtown LA really has turned the corner.

Smart & Final actually started in Downtown LA two blocks from City Hall on Los Angeles St in 1871. Back then, there were less than 50,000 people total who called Los Angeles home. It’s been a long time coming, but after more than 140 years since Smart & Final first started selling “1870s stuff” like gun powder, farm equipment, and chewing tobacco, the new downtown location in 2013 will offer everything, from “big to small” quantities, you’d expect from a well-stocked grocery store including: fresh and affordably priced produce and meats, dairy products, baked goods, frozen packaged foods, wine and other spirits, and common household items.

In addition, the downtown location will also have the first Coffee Bean within a Smart & Final store. The Coffee Bean cafe, also aptly named the “Downtown Grind,” will offer free WiFi and outdoor patio seating facing Figueroa St.

Located on the ground floor of the 845 S Figueroa office building centered between FIGat7th and LA Live, Smart & Final Extra occupies the entire 25,000 square foot ground-floor commercial space and is the company’s first truly urban format store out of 186 locations. 845 S Figueroa is currently wrapping up construction on a $15 million renovation project, updating the once dowdy and long-abandoned building into a modern glass edifice that will become the new Los Angeles headquarters for The State Bar of California.

Smart & Final Extra in Downtown LA will be open every day from 6 am to 10 pm with 90 min free parking. Asked if store hours could be extended in the future, a S&F rep told me that if the demand is there from the community, they may decide to open even earlier (5 am) and stay open later.

For more info, please visit Smart & Final online.

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