Superior Market and Deli will open soon downtown at Third and Broadway.

The original plan was to open for Derby, but the building needed electrical upgrades.

The market and deli will feature a salad bar, fresh produce, sandwiches and an ice cream maker.

It'll also carry coffee, fountain sodas, paper products and toiletries.

Downtown Louisville is on the verge of getting its own bodega.

I can’t quite tell you when. If the owner, Abdul Alshawi, had it his way Superior Market and Deli would have opened before the 2018 Kentucky Derby.

I can, however, tell you what’s going on behind the papered windows protected by red awnings at Third and Broadway.

I sat down with Alshawi and Mark Suna, who doubles as the market owner’s friend and real estate agent, earlier this week to hear where the market stands. It's been nearly nine months since they announced plans to bring a small grocer and deli to downtown.

Despite delays, it's still coming.

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The hold-up has largely been with the electric work, they told me. The building dates back to the early 1900s, and though it’s been updated through the years it took longer than expected to ensure the market could run all its equipment and not short-out a block of downtown at the same time.

That’s largely been sorted out, Alshawi said, and he expects to be able to open soon.

The salad bar is in place and so is most of the shelving. The freezer is ready to go. Alshawi has ordered a nitrogen ice cream maker, and he’s been working with Sysco on finalizing the deli menu. He’s got plans to offer delivery for anyone who may not want to leave their downtown apartment or office.

When the 5,400-square-foot New York-style bodega opens it’ll be a place where you can pick up a meal to go or choose from a modest selection of groceries to make dinner at home. He’ll have coffee and fountain sodas. He’ll stock fresh produce, paper products and toiletries.

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Superior Market and Deli will have the essentials, but it won’t be lavish.

Or as Suna put it: It won’t be “too pretty.” The goal is for people to feel comfortable there whether they’ve just left a desk job for the day or they’re on the way home from the gym.

He’s been in Louisville for decades, but he’s also a New York native who thought downtown Louisville could benefit from the bodega model he knew growing up. He pitched the idea to Alshawi, who's owned a few different businesses over the years.

Both men see a dynamic opportunity in downtown Louisville, and they're not the only ones.

There’s been no shortage of development in our city core lately. In just a few months we’ve welcomed a newly remodeled convention center, the Omni Louisville Hotel and the Old Forester distillery.

We’ve got our choice of culinary, hotel and even apartment options.

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But if you’re looking for a gallon of milk or a box of tissues your choices are limited.

For staples, it’s Walgreen’s or CVS on the convenience end. Falls City Market at the Omni Louisville Hotel has a wide selection of artisan products and can fill your grocery basket with the basics.

From the sounds of it, Superior Market and Deli will be something in between that fills a need in the rapidly growing neighborhood.

More downtown Louisville coverage from Maggie Menderski:

From downtown Louisville, your best shopping option may be in Indiana

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Kentucky Center for African American Heritage has big plans coming soon

City Living reporter Maggie Menderski covers retail, restaurants and development in downtown and its nearby urban neighborhoods. Reach Maggie at 502-582-7137 or cityliving@courierjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @MaggieMenderski. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/maggiem.