Riverwards Produce is set to open their storefront at 1822 Tulip Street with an open house featuring craft cocktails made with locally sourced produce and liquor, on July 8, from 2-7 PM. The store will be open for regular business on July 9 and 10 from 7 AM-3 PM.

The store, on Tulip Street between E. Berks and E. Wilt Streets, is run from a repurposed garage with stable style doors. This is the first physical location for Riverwards Produce, a company that previously only distributed produce to quality-conscious restaurants throughout the Riverwards.

At the open house, guests will get the chance to meet Vincent Finazzo and Chris Stock, the men behind Riverwards Produce. Leading up to the opening, Finazzo and Stock were hard at work preparing the space for its public opening. Except for the sign out front, created by Lizzy McErlean, Finazzo and Stock are handling the renovations.

On Friday, Saint Benjamin Brewing Company will pour beer and W.P. Palmer Distilling Company will serve cocktails featuring fruits and herbs from Riverwards Produce. High Point Coffee will pour some cold brew for people who choose not to imbibe.

W.P. Palmer’s Liberty Gin will be featured in a refreshing citrusy cocktail, said Walter Palmer from the Manayunk Distillery. Since Riverwards Produce buys its stock at the last possible minute, the recipe has not been finalized.

Finazzo and Stock hope to position the store as the simple and straightforward alternative to the typical sprawl of grocery chains. Riverwards Produce will continue to locally source as much of its produce as possible. For fruits and veggies that cannot grow in the region, Finazzo said he still intends to keep prices low.

“We want to be an old fashioned produce stand,” said Finazzo.

“We didn’t want to be on Frankford or Girard where people fly by,” said Stock. “We wanted to be in the neighborhood where people would stop.”

In addition to opening to the public on weekends, Riverwards Produce will take wholesale orders from everyday folks, allowing canners to stock up and for people planning large events to save money off the retail price.

Of Riverwards Produce’s stock, Finazzo said: “It’s going to evolve and change like the seasons.”