Market East offers 'neighborhood market' shopping experience in Findlay Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The newly renovated East Food District, located in Findlay Dining Commons at University Park, is a busy place every day of the week. One particularly popular spot is Market East, an urban-style “neighborhood market” where students can stop by for a quick snack or meal, fresh ingredients to prepare a meal, a frozen treat, or personal-care items.

Located on the ground floor of Findlay, Market East features more than 3,000 square feet of shopping space, including a 1,500-square-foot produce section. In addition to a variety of options for snacks and healthy choices, including fresh fruit and vegetables, sandwiches and subs, yogurt, soups, and frozen foods, the market features coffee machines, frozen smoothies, frozen yogurt with toppings, and, of course, Berkey Creamery dairy products.

“Our campus convenience stores really serve as neighborhood markets,” said Brooke Jodon, a food services manager at Findlay Dining Commons. “Today’s students are looking for healthier choices, such as fresh produce and items students can keep in their micro-fridges and heat up in their microwaves. We’re proud to offer a wide variety of grab-and-go items and healthier food options.”

Many products available in Market East are sized to fit the smaller-scale appliances students have in their rooms. For example, gallon-size milk containers aren’t stocked because they don’t fit in students’ micro-fridges.

With East Halls housing more than 4,000 students, the management team saw the need for a larger store than the former 560-square-foot Good 2 Go. “We wanted a large produce section, additional freezers, and more beverage coolers, and that necessitated a much larger footprint for the new store,” Jodon said.

The management team chooses items to stock in Market East based on student and customer requests, manufacturer’s recommendations, and the latest innovations. Popular items so far include fresh fruit such as raspberries, blueberries, clementines, avocados, and apple slices, as well as Chobani yogurt, Panera soups, grab-n-go sandwiches and salads, milkshakes, and smoothies.

Looking ahead, Market East managers plan to bring fresh produce from the Penn State Student Farm to the store.

Market East is open 7 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays.