Iconic Grocery Store Closes
Heinen's Downtown Cleveland location in historic Trust Building closes after 11 years
Anonymous
Key Points
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The downtown Heinen's is housed in the historic Cleveland Trust Building, a 1907 structure whose rotunda ceiling and neo-classical/Renaissance revival design made it a landmark, even earning a cameo in The Avengers.
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In 2024, the Downtown location reduced its footprint to a single floor, reflecting ongoing adjustments prior to the closure and signaling shifts in how the historic space was being used.
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The store's location and its rotunda transformation were tied to downtown redevelopment supported by historic preservation tax credits, with local research noting the Ameritrust complex as a component of Cleveland’s comeback plan.
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Downtown foot traffic headwinds—exacerbated by the pandemic and related disruptions—have been a longstanding challenge, with the rotunda previously drawing hundreds of office workers at lunchtime before the changes.
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Heinen’s Downtown was described by visitors as the nation’s most beautiful grocery store and is noted as the only full-fledged grocery store in Downtown Cleveland.
Heinen's will permanently close its landmark Downtown Cleveland grocery store on July 31, 2026, ending an 11-year run inside the historic Cleveland Trust Building. The company cited "long-term sustainability challenges" and insufficient foot traffic as the reasons, according to Cleveland Magazine.
Co-President Jeff Heinen called it a "difficult decision," saying the store "did not reach the level of long-term sustainability needed to continue operating." The closure leaves Downtown Cleveland with just one remaining grocer — the much smaller Constantino's Market on West 9th Street — and sends the city scrambling to find a new use for one of its most iconic spaces, NEOtrans reported.
A Grocery Store Unlike Any Other Closes Its Doors
Heinen's opened in February 2015 inside the former Cleveland Trust Company Building, a 1907 neo-classical landmark at East 9th Street and Euclid Avenue. The rotunda — featuring a soaring Tiffany-style stained-glass dome — made it unlike any grocery store in the country. Visitors frequently called it the nation's most beautiful grocery store, according to Cleveland Magazine.
The building sat largely vacant for nearly two decades after banking operations ended in 1996. Its transformation into a full-service grocery was the centerpiece of "The 9" mixed-use development, funded in part by historic preservation tax credits. In 2012, the rotunda even appeared in Marvel's *The Avengers* as a New York City bank, NEOtrans noted.
Pandemic Foot Traffic Never Came Back to Euclid Avenue
The store's business model depended heavily on the lunch rush from nearby office towers. Before 2020, hundreds of office workers flooded the rotunda daily for prepared foods and deli items. The pandemic and the shift to hybrid work broke that model permanently, according to NEOtrans.
By late 2024, Heinen's had already shrunk the store to a single floor, vacating the second-floor rotunda to cut costs. Urban planners had estimated a downtown population of 20,000 was needed to sustain a full-service grocery. Downtown Cleveland now has roughly 21,000 residents — but high overhead costs for the 118-year-old landmark still squeezed margins too tight to survive, Cleveland Magazine reported.
No Layoffs, But a Huge Void Left Behind
Heinen's confirmed that all downtown associates will be offered jobs at its 23 remaining locations across Northeast Ohio and the Chicago suburbs. Zero layoffs are expected, WKYC reported. The Euclid Avenue closure does not affect any other Heinen's store.
Mayor Justin Bibb called the store "an important resource for Downtown employees, residents, and visitors alike." Michael Deemer, president of Downtown Cleveland, Inc., said finding a replacement grocery option is now "a priority," adding that future retailers must "adapt to how people live, shop, and spend," according to Cleveland Magazine.
What Happens to the Rotunda After July 31
The Cleveland Trust rotunda is a protected historic landmark. That means it cannot be torn down or heavily altered. Property owner The Geis Companies — who were not told of the closure until the morning of the announcement — are now searching for new tenants, NEOtrans reported.
Possible future uses being discussed include a high-end food hall, a restaurant group takeover, or a public events space. No formal plans are in place yet. The closure lands as $5 billion in development projects are underway downtown, putting added pressure on city leaders to stabilize the neighborhood's retail core, according to Hoodline.
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