Pittsburghers are lucky to have a number of time-travel places left. Schwartz Market is one of them.

Inside and outside, the South Side institution, for which Joe Liotta has been hand-lettering signs advertising specials since 1938, still looks like the place where steelworkers' wives bought fresh kielbasa, pickle loaf and baked ham back when the South Side was bathed in smoky air.

But lo! what's that in the produce section? Organic nectarines and locally grown portabellos? In the next aisle, could that be . . . ? It is! Long-grain rice grown using sustainable farming methods!

The groceries so many people go out of their way for, notably to East Liberty and the Strip, have found shelf space in one of Pittsburgh's quintessential ma-and-pa stores.

"There was demand enough," said Donna Stanton, an owner of the store. "I want to stay in business and reach the younger crowd, which we're getting.

"When we bought this place, in 1985, the steel mills were going bust," said Ms. Stanton. "I grew up in Arlington and looked out on the South Side -- if you could see it."

Today's view is cleaner and greener. Every aisle pops with signs of the future -- neon-colored alerts to a natural, organic or local product: from Stonyfield Farms yogurt and shade-grown organic coffee from Nicaragua to kimchee, soups, cookies and a variety of produce.

"Until August 1, this was as conventional as a grocery store could get," said Elisa Beck, founder of Sustainable Monroeville. Her husband's family founded Schwartz Market, of which there were once six in the city. "When I found out the business was struggling, I decided to get involved."

The market has joined the "Buy fresh, buy local" campaign of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and is holding events to promote its participation.

It's the same store where 70-year-old Anne Rost has been buying fresh-made kielbasa and Swedish meatball mix on visits home from Houston. It also might keep a South Side resident from having to drive to buy healthy groceries.

Ms. Stanton is amazed anyone would spend $10 for a pound of coffee. She said she wants to ease into the sustainable movement instead of going whole hog. She has satisfied shoppers who want flavored hummus and she has reordered kimchee. But when someone suggested she stock gluten-free products, she held up her hands as if to stop an oncoming train and said, "Whoa, one step at a time."

Diana Nelson Jones can be reached at djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626. Visit her Web blog "City Walkabout" at post-gazette.com/localnews.

Pittsburghers are lucky to have a number of time-travel places left. Schwartz Market is one of them.

Inside and outside, the South Side institution, for which Joe Liotta has been hand-lettering signs advertising specials since 1938, still looks like the place where steelworkers' wives bought fresh kielbasa, pickle loaf and baked ham back when the South Side was bathed in smoky air.

But lo! what's that in the produce section? Organic nectarines and locally grown portabellos? In the next aisle, could that be . . . ? It is! Long-grain rice grown using sustainable farming methods!

The groceries so many people go out of their way for, notably to East Liberty and the Strip, have found shelf space in one of Pittsburgh's quintessential ma-and-pa stores.

"There was demand enough," said Donna Stanton, an owner of the store. "I want to stay in business and reach the younger crowd, which we're getting.

"When we bought this place, in 1985, the steel mills were going bust," she said. "I grew up in Arlington and looked out on the South Side -- if you could see it."

Today's view is cleaner and greener. Every aisle pops with signs of the future -- neon-colored alerts to a natural, organic or local product: from Stonyfield Farms yogurt and shade-grown organic coffee from Nicaragua to kimchee, soups, cookies and a variety of produce.

"Until August 1, this was as conventional as a grocery store could get," said Elisa Beck, founder of Sustainable Monroeville. Her husband's family founded Schwartz Market, of which there were once six in the city. "When I found out the business was struggling, I decided to get involved."

The market has joined the "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" campaign of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and is holding events to promote its participation.

It's the same store where 70-year-old Anne Rost has been buying fresh-made kielbasa and Swedish meatball mix on visits home from Houston. It also might keep a South Side resident from having to drive to buy healthful groceries.

Ms. Stanton is amazed anyone would spend $10 for a pound of coffee. She said she wants to ease into the sustainable movement instead of going whole hog. She has satisfied shoppers who want flavored hummus and she has reordered kimchee. But when someone suggested she stock gluten-free products, she held up her hands as if to stop an oncoming train and said, "Whoa, one step at a time."