Dom’s Kitchen & Market announces November opening date for its Old Town location

Dom’s Kitchen & Market will open a store in Old Town on Nov. 1, the grocer said Monday.

The specialized shopkeeper, who was launched by Chicago supermarket giant Bob Mariano and former Dominick affiliates last year, announced the Old Town location, which will be its second, in February. Dom’s new store comes on the heels of its first location in a converted shopping center on Halsted Street in Lincoln Park, which opened in June 2021. At 27,000 square feet, the Old Town store will be 50% larger than its predecessor.

The new location at 1233 N. Wells St. will create 180 jobs, Dom’s said.

The Old Town address was previously home to the only Chicago location of the Michigan-based specialty supermarket Plum Market. After Dom’s announced plans to move into space, Plum Market alleged that he was being expelled in a “silent deal through the back door.”

In a statement at the time, Dom executives said they were approached about the location.

“We are surprised and disappointed to learn of this unfounded interpretation of the move we are making to the new Old Town location,” the executives said.

In a press release Monday, Dom’s said the Old Town store will feature “globally inspired, seasonally driven and locally sourced” products, including bakery items from Eli’s Cheesecake and Stan’s Donuts and products from Gotham Greens, a New York-based hydroponic grower expanding their existing Pullman greenhouse facility.

Other offerings include a library of high-end wines, a variety of hundreds of cheeses, and a wide range of prepared foods, including Roman-style pizza, sushi, poke bowls, salads, and made-to-order burgers and sandwiches. A cafeteria will serve beers from Hexe, Metropolis and La Colombe; a separate wine bar will offer happy hour Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.

New to the Old Town location will be chef-prepared hot meals like Rhode Island-style shrimp mac and cheese and a custom made-in-store pie program.

“Dom’s continues to evolve based on the collective efforts of our team. We all work diligently to excite the hearts, minds and palates of our loyal and new customers alike,” Mariano, co-CEO of Dom, said in a statement. “Our work here is never done and we strive for excellence on a daily basis.”

Dom’s said it hopes to open “several” stores in Chicago in 2023, though it no longer plans to open one. store discussed above in the suburbs later this year. Dom’s is on track to open 15 stores by 2025, the company’s leadership team said.