The owner of the former Friedman's Freshmarket in Saxonburg is in talks to sell the 27,500-square-foot building to a buyer who would return it to a full-service supermarket.

SAXONBURG — The North Carolina grocery distributor that now owns the former Friedman's Freshmarket in Saxonburg is in discussions to sell the 27,500-square-foot building to a buyer who would return it to a full-service supermarket.

Shawn Beichler, the general manager and vice president of real estate for Alex Lee Inc. in Hickory, N.C., would not divulge the person or company he is in talks with, but he did say Monday discussions have been ongoing for three or four weeks.

“We would like to see a grocery store go in there, yes,” Beichler said.

If no deal is made, Merchants Distributors Inc. (MDI) will list the building for sale with a real estate company, Beichler said.

The store has sat idle since January 2018, when it was closed by Carole Bitter, the owner of Harold Friedman Inc. The Chicora and Greater Butler Mart stores were also closed at that time.

Alex Lee is the parent company of MDI, also of Hickory, which sued Bitter in January 2018 for failing to make payments on a loan and mortgage she took out in October 2016.

Bitter immediately countersued MDI, claiming its unacceptable practices destroyed the 125-year-old business that her father started in Butler with a produce cart.

The lawsuit dragged on and was finally closed in March by Judge Arthur Schwab of federal court in Pittsburgh. MDI's position that Bitter failed to uphold her end of the contract was confirmed by Schwab.

Because neither lawyers for Harold Friedman Inc. nor MDI returned calls to the Eagle, it is not known exactly why MDI came into possession of the Saxonburg store or if Bitter was ordered to pay any monetary award to MDI.

Beichler said he hopes to provide grocery items for the new owner of the store, should the prospective buyer decide to buy it.

“If we don't see an offer in the next several weeks, we're going to put it on the market,” he said. “It all depends on their timing.”

He said if the building goes on the market, MDI professionals would then decide whether upgrades will be made to it or if the purchase price would be reduced and the building sold as is.

MDI is also in negotiations with a different prospective buyer for an empty 4.5-acre property formerly owned by Harold Friedman Inc. that is next to the Point Plaza on New Castle Road.

MDI ended up with that property as a result of the lawsuit.

Beichler would not divulge what type of development that property would be used for should the sale go through.

Like the Saxonburg grocery store, the New Castle Road property will be listed on the real estate market if no deal is made in the current negotiations, Beichler said.

He said the Friedman's store in Chicora was not one of the properties MDI received as a result of the lawsuit.

Beichler does not know the fate of that store.

He said while Alex Lee buys and sells properties as a part of its business, it is unusual to acquire a property through a lawsuit.

“This is not the norm, no,” Beichler said.