SAXONBURG — Talks between the new owners of the former Friedman's building on West Water Street and an undisclosed grocer have got the borough buzzing.

Saxonburg has gone without a grocery store since January 2018, when all of the Friedman's Freshmarket locations were closed.

Merchants Distributors Inc. (MDI), the North Carolina company that sued Harold Friedman Inc. and won, now owns the Saxonburg building and another empty property in Butler Township.

MDI officials confirmed earlier this week that they are in talks with a potential grocer, but will put the building up for sale if they do not make a deal within the next several weeks.

Residents of the borough and its surrounding area have had to drive to Sarver, Butler or Gibsonia to access a full-service grocery store — where they can buy fresh meat, produce and other items — since the Friedman's store closed.

“I hope it's someone we could depend on and (who would) have good products,” said Maria Berzonski of Jefferson Township.

She would prefer a higher-end store like Shop 'n Save or Kuhn's Market, but she'd be happy if a discount grocery store went in the 27,500-square-foot building.

Berzonski said many residents are sad about the fate of the Friedman's Freshmarket and its owner, Carole Bitter, whose father started the 125-year-old business with a produce pushcart.

Berzonski's daughter, Melinda, said many retirees counted on the store and that a bus from Concordia Lutheran Services' independent living facility ferried residents there for groceries when it was open.

“We need something that would be a real grocery store for the neighborhood,” Melinda Berzonski said.

Colleen Rahner of Saxonburg said she always shopped at Friedman's and misses having a supermarket.

“This is a nice community, so it's a little backward with no grocery store,” she said.

Rahner wants the community to get a full-service supermarket like Giant Eagle, where shoppers can get not only grocery items, but also fresh flowers and alcohol, at some point.

“That would do well here,” she said.

She said residents who need only $30 or $40 in groceries don't want to drive to outlying towns for a purchase of that size.

“We need one badly,” Rahner said of the borough's lack of a grocery store.

Jesse Byers of Saxonburg and her daughter, Mia, live across the street from the old Friedman's.

They were constantly popping into the store to pick up items they now cannot get from the nearby discount variety store, from which the bulk of their household food comes.

“I'd like to see another grocery store,” said Jesse Byers.

“With lots of fruits and vegetables,” added Mia, 9. “It's sad. There's nowhere to get apples or anything.”

Jesse Byers said her family mainly lives on the food she gets from the discount store, now that Friedman's has closed.

“We don't get nearly as much fruit, vegetables or fresh meats,” she said. “Now, it's canned or frozen food.”

Chantal Knappenberger of Saxonburg also hopes another grocery store goes into the former Friedman's building — and soon.

“It was nice to pick up a few things,” she said. “It was always there.”

Knappenberger would settle for a discount grocery store as long as it offers fresh produce and meats.

“The dollar store certainly can't replace a grocery store,” she said.

An employee at the Friedman's Freshmarket told her the store would close, so Knappenberger wasn't surprised when it went out of business.

“But I never dreamed it would be (empty) this long,” she said.

Mary Papik, Saxonburg borough manager, said having a full-service grocery store in the borough would help residents tremendously.

She said many potential shopkeepers have looked at the commercial rental properties on Main Street, but eschewed moving in because the town does not have a supermarket.

“They would like to see a grocery store in here first because they feel it increases foot traffic,” Papik said.

She said the senior living facilities are busing their residents to Sarver for grocery items, instead of making the short hop into Saxonburg as they once did.

Personally, Papik misses Friedman's because she frequently grabbed lunch there.

“If (a new grocer) had a deli or hot foods, that's one more place for people to get lunch on a quick lunch break,” she said.

She also pointed out that the closing of the Friedman's meant a loss of employment in the borough.

Papik said the borough is not involved in the talks between MDI and the unnamed grocery purveyor, and no permits have been issued for the building.