Shoppers line up before dawn for Pete’s grand opening in Tinley Park

After years of anticipation and construction setbacks, Pete’s Fresh Market officially opened its long-awaited Tinley Park location Wednesday, drawing crowds eager to explore the company’s largest store to date.

Shoppers began lining up outside the 95,000-square-foot store at 16280 S. Harlem Ave. as early as 5 a.m. for the 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony, where company officials greeted the community.

One of the first customers in line was Barb Koeckritz, a Tinley Park resident of 40 years, who said she had been waiting for this day.

“I am so excited about this store opening,” Koeckritz said. “I’ve heard such wonderful things about their produce and juice bar. Before this, we only had two primary grocery stores — Meijer and Jewel. It’s great to have more options.”

Omar Guerrero, general manager of the Tinley Park store, said the company was thrilled to become part of the community.

“This is the 20th Pete’s Fresh Market to open, and we are proud to bring Pete’s Fresh Market to the neighborhood,” Guerrero said.

Founder Jimmy Dremonas, alongside his daughters and executive officers Vanessa and Stephanie Dremonas, has overseen the company’s expansion to 20 locations, with several more in development — including a 60,000-square-foot store in New Lenox currently under construction.

The family emphasized the company’s commitment to serving Tinley Park’s diverse population.

“Our theme is ‘many roots, one market,’” Dremonas said. “Tinley Park is an area that has many different people and many different demographics, and we are here to serve everyone. This is a great location.”

Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz also celebrated the long-awaited opening.

“Opening this store means everything to us,” Glotz said. “We have been working on this for years.”

The Orland Park location, which opened in January, was the most recent addition to Pete’s Fresh Market before the Tinley Park debut. The family-owned supermarket chain has been growing steadily since its humble beginnings in the 1970s as a small produce stand on Chicago’s South Side.

As part of the Tinley Park development, Pete’s also converted the site’s shuttered Kmart into a warehouse, while Chick-fil-A opened on an outlot, adding to the growing retail corridor along Harlem Avenue.

In addition to Tinley Park and Orland Park, Pete’s Fresh Market operates stores across the Chicago area and has three more locations planned, including the New Lenox site at 2375 E. Lincoln Highway, which is projected to open in spring 2026.