Purple days: Feast! celebrates 10 cheesey years

Since the bold paint was applied in 2002, the shop that has anchored that festive purple palace of cuisine known as the Main Street Market has been increasing its sales and just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Feast!, a gourmet deli-grocery built around artisanal cheeses, opened on February 13, 2002. And like the wholesale fish-monger next door, Seafood@West Main, Feast! has remained a crucial piece of the Market. According to co-owner Eric Gertner, the store has sold over 100,000 pounds of cheese and 1,000 legs of prosciutto while ringing up over 750,000 orders– including delivering 10,000 gift boxes and 65,000 bottles of wine. Along the way, Gertner and his photogenic wife, Kate Collier, have hosted food speakers and now they plan to transform the patio near the parking area into four-season seating. They note a five-fold increase in sales over the years, so what's the secret? "Keep it simple," laughs Gertner.