MOUNT VERNON — The building formerly known as Leonard’s Meat Market has a new lease on life as The Deli Market. The market had been a business icon for many years and the new owner, Ayman Mosleh, intends to operate The Deli Market in that tradition.
According to Mosleh, the store will be run as a deli and convenience-type store. It will offer many convenience store articles, deli meats, sandwiches, pizza and hot meals for take out. Mosleh owns and operates the Hot Rod’s Sunoco in Centerburg.
“I have been wanting to do it for a long time, but I have been busy running my gas station,” he said. “But I have some time to open it now. It was two years, I think, that I bought it. I keep coming back every month saying ‘tomorrow, tomorrow.’”
Although the location is well known because of the many years Leonard’s Market was there, it is not what anyone would call downtown Mount Vernon, being at the intersection of Parrott Street and South Main Street. Nonetheless, Mosleh believes the location has a lot of potential for success.
“I believe it is [a good location],” he said. “And there are all the manufacturers there. It’s going to be clean with good food. Just like my store in Centerburg, here.”
Mosleh said there would be more of a variety of things at the new store compared to the store at Hot Rod’s in Centerburg.
“That is because we have more room there [Deli Market],” he explained.
Kelly Hudson, who manages the Centerburg Hot Rod’s, will in her words, oversee the operations of the new store.
“It’s going to be a deli and convenience store,” she said. “We will have beer but not wine and we won’t have Sunday sales. We will also have hot foods for lunch just as Leonard’s did previously. We just need to get staffed and get started. I expect to start staffing on Friday. We are hiring and people have stopped by to pick up applications and we have gotten some good ones. And I will be bringing some of my staff here from Hot Rod’s.”
Mosleh hopes to be fully open on Monday after he gets the last of his deli equipment moved into the store. The Deli Market is at the corner of South Main Street and Parrott Street.
