Just as eager freshmen trade out their high school uniforms and Lily Pulitzer for Birkenstocks and flannels, owners of downtown Waterville’s Itali-ah Market and Restaurant have similarly decided to “reinvent” their shop for the upcoming year. Itali-ah caters to all diners, whether they want to have nice sit down meal, need Italian cooking supplies, or simply desire a quick coffee and gelato.

Formerly known as Napoli Market, the authentic Italian grocer located on 74 Main Street was bought in November of 2016 by current owner, Jennifer Bergeron. She began renovations in April of 2017, and in a recent interview with the Echo, expressed her excitement for the restaurant’s reopening. “I saw a huge potential in the business, which began as an Italian specialty market. My idea was to expand with a full service restaurant serving authentic regional Italian fare to augment the market, exposing people to Italian products not normally found in America, let alone Maine,” Bergeron said.