BALTIMORE—In what officials say is an important sign for theHoward Park section of Baltimore, the city'slargest supermarket, a 67,000-square-foot ShopRitestore, will open its doors for the first time on Thursday.

The Howard Park ShopRite on Liberty Heights Avenue will packagesuburban offerings for an urban audience, according toMarshall Klein, chief operating officer ofKlein's Family Markets, which owns and operatesnine ShopRite locations in the Baltimore region. The Howard Parklocation is Klein's first foray into Baltimore, and is a jointventure with the nonprofit UpLift Solutions,according to the Baltimore Sun.

Bringing a supermarket to Howard Park dates back to 1999 when aSuper Pride supermarket shut its doors. It has been a goal forBaltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake for thepast decade. "When you have an environment that is lacking in freshfood options, it will be harder for you to be healthy," the mayorsays, noting that there is a need for fresh produce in the HowardPark area.