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WHEREAS, in a community that prides itself on the success of small businesses, Engel's Market in Squirrel Hill was a landmark and an icon that stood for 46 years in the same location; and
WHEREAS, providing Squirrel Hill shoppers with fresh fruits and vegetables, Engel's Market was opened by Milton Engel in 1966 as a way to support his family and send his children to college. Milton had come to the United States from Poland as an 11 year old boy in 1921; and,
WHEREAS, surviving the advent of big box stores and the expanding grocery business, Engel's Market offered quality fruits and vegetables to its customers as well expert assistance in choosing for value and flavor, and at the same time, Milt Engel educated both his children. His son, Ivan, became a chemist and musician, and his daughter Claire graduated from the University of Pittsburgh; and,
WHEREAS, Claire Engel began a temporary stint helping her father after her college graduation but stayed on in a more permanent role, and after his death in 1996 at age 86, Claire ran the business herself; and,
WHEREAS, Claire Engel will now be closing Engel's Market, the last of three green grocers on the same block on Murray Avenue where butchers, bakers and delis once thrived, bowing to the realities of aging owners, shopping options and neighborhood demographics; and,
WHEREAS, Claire Engel maintained not just a successful fruit and produce business but sustained a part of the fabric of Squirrel Hill while greeting friends and strangers, sharing recipes and recommending what's "good" and worth a try, making the neighborhood someplace special.
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NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize Claire Engel, a purveyor of the finest quality fruits and vegetables, for her dedicated commitment to her small business, to her neighborhood and to all the friends and customers she has so graciously cared for over the last 46 years.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh, does hereby declare that Monday, April 30, 2012, to be "CLAIRE ENGEL DAY" in the City of Pittsburgh