Would-be customers heading to the Egg Store Produce Market in Cermak Plaza  Thursday morning were greeted with window signs stating: “Familia Foods,” “Carniceria Y Frutera” and “Opening soon.”

After decades in Berwyn, the Egg Store sold the location to a Latino grocer to open a Family Foods Meats and Fruits. The Egg Store closed Aug. 8. Attempts to reach the owners for comment were unsuccessful.

Some shoppers believed the late-February opening of Tony’s Finer Foods at the south end of North Riverside Plaza, located across the street from Cermak Plaza, affected the smaller grocer.
Marie Storino, 73, of Berwyn, a shopper at the Egg Store in Berwyn since it opened, said she began comparing the two stores.

“People have been going to Tony’s more for their fruits and vegetables because they’re cheaper, and you want to get more for your money,” she said.

Diane Riordan, 67, of Lake Forest, who shops in the area often while visiting her mother in Riverside, added she likes how Tony’s is larger and has more selection.

“But this new Spanish store will do really well here,” she said, referring to the area’s large Latino population.

Storino said she stayed loyal to the Egg Store to purchase her plants.

“I got my tomato plants there. Now I have to get them at Home Depot,” she said.
Some shoppers said there were warning signs the Egg Store’s days were numbered after seeing fewer workers and the empty shelves not being replenished. One customer said he saw a sign indicating only remodeling.

An employee at the store’s corporate office said the company also might sell its Oak Lawn location. Two locations remain open in Chicago, at 3008 S. Halsted St. and 6190 S. Archer Ave.
Last year, movie stars Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman were in the Egg Store for filming of scenes for the fantasy-thriller movie, “Wanted.”

Then-store manager Mary Vratar said location scouts for the movie fell in love with the store’s character. The store received new signs and security mirrors from Universal Studios in preparation for the shoot.