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WHEREAS, the neighborhood of Oakland is a vibrant and diverse community, rich in immigrant history and tradition; and,
WHEREAS, Italo Merante, son of Pittsburgh's famous horse-drawn grocery wagon entrepreneur Pasquale Merante, emigrated to Pittsburgh from Italy in 1952, and opened a confection store in Oakland on Fraizer Street in the same year under the name Merante Groceria; and,
WHEREAS, after opening another store in Uptown in 1960, the current location of Merante Groceria at 3454 Bates Street in Oakland opened in 1979; and,
WHEREAS, sisters Filomena Merante and Julie Merante, have worked tirelessly at Merante Groceria since the late '70s, taking over as owners when Italo passed away in 1991; and,
WHEREAS, Merante Groceria continues to serve both traditional community residents as well as Oakland's student population with fresh local produce, a full deli case, Uncle Sal's famous authentic old world sausage, and their well-known Italian hoagie on a full loaf of bread with four meats, cheese, and fried hot or sweet peppers; and,
WHEREAS, Merante Groceria on Bates Street has been a cornerstone grocery business in the Oakland community for over 33 years, bringing together both old world and new world delicacies at affordable prices; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Tuesday, March 20, 2012, to be Merante Groceria Day in the City of Pittsburgh.