An IGA-affiliated market will open Friday in a 4,000-square-foot second story in the heart of Oakland, the first supermarket in that area since a Giant Eagle closed on Forbes Avenue about a decade ago.

The IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance) Market in the Strand Building at 3609 Forbes Ave. will open at 11 a.m., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m.

Georgia Petropoulos of the Oakland Business Improvement District said that, compared to suburban stores, this one makes a small footprint, smaller even than the Whole Foods Market in East Liberty, "but the square footage is deceiving, because there is so much packed into the store. There is no inefficient use of space. It's spectacular. We are now finally getting supermarkets back in the city."

The market will offer a full range of items, frozen prepared foods and a deli of freshly prepared rotisserie chicken, salads, wraps and sandwiches.

The Strand Building has been home to various clubs, including Club Laga, the Attic and the Upstage. Ron Levick bought it three years ago and converted the upper stories to apartments.

He rents to 60 residential tenants, all of whom have had to travel at least three miles for a store that offers a full range of grocery options, he said. More than 100,000 people either live or work in the immediate area, so "a grocery store was a good fit."

"I liked IGA because I'll be totally independent. I can do anything that I want," he said.

Because of space limitations, he said, instead of stocking 50 kinds of salad dressing, he might have 10, starting with the top five in popularity. "And in every category, I do have an organic" offering.

The store will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 5 p.m. on weekends.

"The entire community is very excited to have the grocery store," said Pam Eichenbaum, coordinator of the Oakland Community Council. "It will give the student body and the rest of the community a chance to stay local."

She said she does not think the IGA store will take business away from the many "great small grocers in Oakland." Most of them have niche businesses, focused on specific ethnic groups, notably from India, Italy and Latin America. "A larger store will supplement what they don't have."