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A lady brandishing a Shop 'n Save circular made a beeline for the sharp-dressed man in the dark suit who was greeting customers at the new Bottom Dollar Food store in Christy Park.

"It says here you match prices," she said to the man, standing in the produce section. "I want to know if you'll match the price on this ground beef." The man shook his head and smiled.

"Sorry, I can't help you," Mike Cherepko said. "I don't have any control over that. I'm the mayor of McKeesport."

It was a simple case of mistaken identity. But there was no mistaking the excitement swirling around the grocery store that opened its doors Thursday morning --- the first newly constructed grocery store in the city in at least four decades.

Despite a cold, steady drizzle, customers began lining up at midnight for a chance to claim one of 200 bags of free groceries. By 8 a.m., the line wrapped around the building, and cars had spilled out of the parking lot and into the surrounding neighborhoods.

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A discount division of Salisbury, N.C., based Food Lion, Bottom Dollar is challenging Giant Eagle on its home turf with seven new stores in the Pittsburgh region. Local officials are hoping the Walnut Street location helps bring a critical mass of new businesses to that corridor.

"People realize that Downtown is not going to be what it was years ago," Cherepko said. Walnut Street "is the new business center for the city of McKeesport. You're going to see shoppers here from Elizabeth Township, Liberty, Port Vue, White Oak --- I think this store is going to be a huge success."

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The store employs nearly 50 people, most of whom are from the city, said Kevin Daw of Penn Hills, store manager. The McKeesport location is almost fully staffed, though a few cashier positions still remain to be filled.

Daw, who joined the Bottom Dollar chain after a 20-year career at Giant Eagle, said he had never seen a store opening like Thursday's. Bottom Dollar "is a different animal," he said.

Some elements of Bottom Dollar will be familiar to people who have shopped another discount grocery chain, Aldi. Like Aldi, customers must bag their own groceries. Bags cost 5 cents each, though cardboard boxes are provided free. Bottom Dollar also offers a large selection of private-label "store brand" items. At 18,000 square feet, the store is also smaller than most supermarkets constructed in the last 20 years.

But unlike Aldi, Bottom Dollar also carries many name brand, nationally advertised items, as well as fresh meat and produce. In a way, it combines elements of discounting with those of a traditional neighborhood grocery store.

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Besides the added employment and tax revenue, the new store cleans up an ugly corner at the southern entrance to the city. Bottom Dollar replaces several vacant buildings, including an old Eat 'n Park and the former Keystone Auto Parts and Paul Jones Dodge.

"I think it's a great organization," said state Sen. Jim Brewster, McKeesport Democrat, who is trying to convince Bottom Dollar to add stores in Clairton and Duquesne. "And they haven't asked for much --- they brought in good people and they spent their own money. As an elected official, those are the kinds of people you like to deal with."

Christy Park is the city's designated "Elm Street corridor" because of its mix of homes and businesses, and its walkability. "You can walk here," said Brewster, who lives a few blocks away. "And with public transportation being cut, people need to be able to walk."

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Bottom Dollar is not the only new retail business along Walnut Street north of Long Run Road. The long-vacant Tube City Brewhouse is now Chick's Grill --- a sports bar specializing in chicken dishes --- while TigerTown has since 2007 transformed an empty Arby's location into a bustling pizza and barbecue joint.

The opposite side of Walnut from Bottom Dollar, on the former site of Reliance Steel, there's now a Rite Aid pharmacy, and city council has approved plans for a Family Dollar nearby.

In addition, developer Robert Biros has resumed work on a strip-style shopping center at the intersection of Walnut Street and Long Run Road, where PB&S Chemical once was located. Work halted several years ago when state officials refused to approve environmental permits.

Walnut Street and Long Run Road are both state highways. According to city officials, the state has promised to erect a traffic light at the intersection when the shopping center is complete. "A traffic light is absolute necessity once that opens up," Cherepko said. "You already have problems getting in and out of there now."

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Besides the show of support from residents --- more than 400 people were on hand for the grand opening --- the new store received a strong show of support from local elected officials. Cherepko and Brewster were joined at the ribbon-cutting by all seven members of city council and Allegheny County Councilman Bob Macey, West Mifflin Democrat.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Mike Merriweather --- acting as a spokesman for the chain --- said Bottom Dollar wants to be "integrated into the fabric of the community." He and Daw presented local officials with $500 donations for McKeesport Area High School, Founder's Hall Middle School, Centennial Elementary School and White Oak Elementary School.

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