Coventry Welcomes Dave's Marketplace With Open Arms

Over 400 friends, neighbors and local business owners came out last night to celebrate the opening of the ninth Dave's Marketplace location at 23 Shoppers Park.

Guests were welcomed to the event with a vast array of prepared foods to enjoy such as fresh sushi, fruit, pizza, cheese, beef tenderloin, crab cakes, meatballs, desserts, beer, wine and much more.

The location itself has undergone a complete transformation since it was home to the former Jerry's Supermarket, and is now well-designed and esthetically pleasing with 11 aisles of groceries, a deli, seafood counter, brick oven, prepared food counter and an expansive produce section. 

The decor consists of vintage farm photos, a silo above the customer service desk and aisle signs representing the different villages of Coventry. 

"It's laid out similar to my first store in Smithfield," said owner Dave Cesario. "There are shorter aisles and it's not as gigantic as others stores, people don't mind backtracking if they forgot something in another aisle."

When asked what made him choose Coventry for his newest location, Cesario believes the decision is beneficial to the town and the company. "There really wasn't much around here and the area needed an independent like myself. It was just a great opportunity."

Aside from the difference in product selection compared to other area grocery stores, Cesario and his wife Leann believe that it is the Dave's Market attitude that sets the company apart from others.

"We have a friendly atmosphere, good service and we're family oriented," he said. "Our employees are happy here. Those that work here are a part of us and actually want to come to work."

The new location already has around 110 employees, many Coventry residents and some that have transferred from other Dave's locations.

Dave's tentative hours of business, depending on customer volume over the first few weeks will be from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and until 8 p.m. on Sunday.

The store will open Wednesday, March 2 at 8 a.m. and will have their official grand opening on Friday. Based on the response from guests of Tuesday's open house, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the newest addition to Coventry.

"People can't wait for us to open," said Cesario. "This is a great town to be doing business in."