Who takes the biggest storefront at Forbes and Murray once the pharmacy chain that held it is gone? Settling that at 1700 Murray Avenue took a bankruptcy court, a change of building ownership, a zoning hearing and most of a year. The tenant that came out of all that is Murray's, also called Murray Avenue Market. It is planned as a full-service kosher supermarket, and its owner is aiming to open around March 2027.
That date matters for anyone who walks the corner. Between now and spring, Forbes and Murray runs on its smaller tenants, and those are the spaces changing hands fastest. That gap explains most of what has opened, closed and gone quiet near the corner this year.
The Big Space Took the Long Route
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's August 23 report lays out a timeline that explains why the former Rite Aid stayed empty so long. The building at 1700 Murray houses the now-closed Rite Aid along with several restaurants and offices. It was changing hands after its former owner defaulted on mortgage payments, at the same time the Rite Aid lease itself was being decided in bankruptcy court.
As reported, the sequence went like this:
- The building's mortgage lender, AmeriServ, opposed giving the most prominent space in the building to Itchy Glassner, the founder of Murray's. The lender argued in bankruptcy court that he had not shown he could meet the financial obligations.
- The new owner of the building, Brandywine Communities, also contested the lease in bankruptcy court.
- In May, representatives for the market went before the Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment while the property owner was still arguing against the zoning exception.
- The zoning board approved the grocery in July 2026, the month before the Post-Gazette report.
- On August 7, Brandywine issued a press release officially recognizing the lease, and both sides told the paper they had settled.
- Remodeling is set to begin once engineering plans are finalized. The opening target is around March 2027.
As of mid-October, no newer public update on construction or a revised opening date had surfaced. Treat March 2027 as a target and nothing firmer.
What Murray's Is Planning to Be
A pharmacy chain is easy to replace with another chain. Murray's is a different kind of tenant, and the planning details explain why the corner's owner ended up welcoming it. Glassner told the Post-Gazette that Murray's will be more like a supermarket where everything is kosher than a specialty kosher store. "I'm going after the broader community and neighborhood at Squirrel Hill," he said in the Post-Gazette's report.
According to the same report, the plans include:
- Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Friday, 8 a.m. until two hours before sundown, when the Jewish Sabbath begins.
- Prepared food: A commercial kitchen inside for take-away items, plus 8 to 10 seats for people who want to eat there.
- Beyond groceries: Personal care products. Ordering and delivery will run through third-party apps at first.
- Parking: A 23-space lot behind the store, with an ADA ramp at the back so shoppers can push carts out to their cars.
For anyone who drives to the corner, the rear lot and cart ramp are the most practical details. They set Murray's up for full grocery runs, with carts going straight out to a dedicated lot.
Upstairs Leased First
The storefront drew the headlines, but leasing upstairs came earlier. In April 2026, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported that Pittsburgh City Paper was relocating to the 1700 Murray building, where the alternative newsweekly will share the second floor with a consulting firm and a dental practice. The same report said the building still had 22,000 square feet available.
The newsroom's move was announced months before the ground-floor lease was resolved. Once it was, Brandywine's spokesman Jamison Combs described what the company had wanted for the corner:
"The addition of Murray's Market represents exactly the type of tenant we hoped to attract — one that not only occupies a significant space, but also provides an everyday service that strengthens the neighborhood and serves residents from every background."
The Post-Gazette quoted that statement from the August 7 press release.
"Everyday service" is the key phrase. The owner of the corner's largest building is betting on errands to bring people to Forbes and Murray in the morning and early evening, six days a week.
The Small Spaces Move Faster
A short walk from the former Rite Aid, the smaller storefronts tell a different story. They don't wait years for one tenant. They turn over within a season.
| Address | Previous tenant | Status as of the latest report |
|---|---|---|
| 1700 Murray Ave. | Rite Aid | Murray's kosher supermarket planned, target around March 2027 |
| 1707 Murray Ave. | stuntpig, which followed Bull River Taco | Stuntpig closed May 23, 2026; no new tenant confirmed in local reporting |
| 1715 Murray Ave. | Viet Nom Nom | Teriyaki Express soft-opened in late May 2026 |
| 5870 Forbes Ave. | Evelyn James Interiors | YangGuoFu Mala Tang still in progress as of Sept. 1, 2026 |
Stuntpig shows how the smallest spaces work. The Post-Gazette reported in May that owners Ariel Alexander and Cody Maze had taken over the remaining two years on the lease at 1707 Murray two years earlier, after Bull River Taco left. They moved in from a mobile operation they had run since 2021. The space had seven seats, poor ventilation and a tiny kitchen. The couple chose not to sign a five-year extension and closed on May 23. "We've come to the limit of what we can do in this space," Maze told the Post-Gazette. In the same article, he called the neighborhood "incredible."
That makes two restaurants that outgrew or left the same narrow storefront within about two years. Local reporting had not named a new tenant for 1707 Murray as of this writing.
Two doors up, the turnover has already happened. PennsylvAsia reported on May 27 that Teriyaki Express had soft-opened at 1715 Murray Ave., in the former Viet Nom Nom space. The menu includes teriyaki chicken, beef and shrimp, plus tempura and dumplings. NEXTpittsburgh included it in a June roundup of new restaurants and noted bento boxes, sushi rolls and fried rice.
On the Forbes side, the opening that keeps slipping is YangGuoFu Mala Tang, a build-your-own malatang bowl chain with more than 6,000 locations worldwide. It is going into 5870 Forbes Ave., most recently Evelyn James Interiors. PennsylvAsia reported that signs first went up in November 2025 with a mid-January target. As of September 1, 2026, work was still underway with no new date, and the ownership had not responded to requests for an update.
The smaller restaurant spaces near the corner change hands quickly or sit in long build-outs. The one big space has a settled lease and a construction schedule still to come.
The Corner Between Now and March
Until Murray's opens, the business district's calendar fills in around the corner. Here is what's scheduled for the rest of the fall:
- Business District Trick or Treat, Saturday, October 31, 5 to 7 p.m. Uncover Squirrel Hill is working with merchants along Forbes and Murray, all the way down to Forward Avenue. Participating businesses will have posters in their windows.
- Squirrel Hill Farmers Market, Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through December 20. The market sets up at the Beacon Bartlett Parking Lot, 5737 Beacon St., and is closed November 29. Counting from today, nine market Sundays remain, starting October 18. The city reserves customer parking on Murray Avenue and Beacon Street, and the Beacon spaces are set aside for shoppers with higher accessibility needs.
- Pittsburgh Jewish Book Festival, October 18 to 25. The Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition's community calendar lists Congregation Beth Shalom as host.
- Holiday decorations on the main streets. Uncover Squirrel Hill is planning holiday banners and lighted snowflakes along Forbes, Shady, Murray and Forward avenues, paid for by a sponsorship drive with a September 11 deadline for guaranteed logo placement.
Halloween evening and the remaining market Sundays both fall before the large storefront at 1700 Murray reopens, while the smaller spaces nearby keep changing.
When a large storefront like 1700 Murray changes hands, nearby owners start asking what it means for their block. With Murray's target set for around March 2027 and 22,000 square feet still reported available in the building, those questions will keep coming through the winter. If you own near Forbes and Murray and want to know how a new grocery anchor and its rear parking lot could affect value on your block, Nate Nieland can walk you through the numbers. Book an Appointment and bring your address.
