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The complete Whole Foods - Traders Joe's omni-thread

jthrasher

By jthrasher
in Grand Rapids

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metrogrkid Hamlet

metrogrkid

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"Foodies, hipsters and clothes horses will have their dreams come true in West Michigan....2013 will be a watershed year for the Grand Rapids area retail market...."

-Shandra Martinez, The Grand Rapids Press, March 05, 2013


Alright Metro GR Folk....we can stop the belly-aching now. IT AIN'T RUMORS ANY MORE!

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2013/03/trader_joes_whole_foods_and_hm.html#incart_river

 

CAN WE LOBBY FOR DOWNTOWN THOUGH? Please?

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joeDowntown Metropolis

joeDowntown

Posted
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Agreed- I had heard several months ago that Trader Joe's was looking at this location.

 

Also heard Woodland is pushing to build a two story H&M with exterior exposure (similar to what they did with North Face).

 

Joe

 

I don't think that this is rumor anymore.  I think one of the two supermarkets will end up on the old Danne's/Prevo/Family Fare location at 28th/Cascade Rd.

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GR_Urbanist Burg

GR_Urbanist

Posted
Posted

"Foodies, hipsters and clothes horses will have their dreams come true in West Michigan....2013 will be a watershed year for the Grand Rapids area retail market...."

-Shandra Martinez, The Grand Rapids Press, March 05, 2013

Alright Metro GR Folk....we can stop the belly-aching now. IT AIN'T RUMORS ANY MORE!

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2013/03/trader_joes_whole_foods_and_hm.html#incart_river

 

CAN WE LOBBY FOR DOWNTOWN THOUGH? Please?

 

 

Why would they locate downtown? They are going to go where people are like the ones on Portlandia, but are also willing and likely to support them.

 

We cant even keep a bookstore open, and the people on bikes barely make up a population big enough to sustain a hotdog cart. Add that with the 99.9% that are going to be going there in cars, and thus demanding big, free and easy parking and you have no place for them to plant a store without tons more money fitting it into someplace like N. Monroe maybe.

 

If DT was actually a built-up, and dense place, with lots of residents,  you may actually have a chance. No chance of that when it is somewhat drab, full of parking lots, has no real existing retail, and no solid population that doesn't rely on cars to get around.

 

Skip the pain by being out in Ada or 28th street next to the highway. You get the urban-dwellers because they have cars already (and what are they going to do, not go to the store they dreamed of for years?), and you get the yuppies in the burbs because you are right there.

 

When you have a central city like we accepted in GR, THIS is what happens. We frittered away too long, and now that these big catches are looking our way, they are not looking at GR, they are looking at the "GR area". Which means the suburbs.

 

These stores may wear the clothes that make you think they would die to be DT (a reality if we were like Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver), but they are a business, not a charity and wont locate someplace that look like (rightfully or not) no one really cares, just because it may be fit their expected image or it may spur a building boom.

 

The sad thing is that this will spur a boom, just out there. Joy.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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These "rumors" sound an awful lot like the locations I had been hearing about from multiple sources. I think it will happen soon then.

 

I didn't however hear about the Knapp's Corner potential site. That makes sense though. I just recently saw that Evergreen put new signs up on the site.

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john_denver Hamlet

john_denver

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These "rumors" sound an awful lot like the locations I had been hearing about from multiple sources. I think it will happen soon then.

 

I didn't however hear about the Knapp's Corner potential site. That makes sense though. I just recently saw that Evergreen put new signs up on the site.

 

Do you think this is why Meijer is spending major $$ to upgrade their Knapp st store?

Gearing up for the coming competition...Possibly right down the street?

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GR8scott Burg

GR8scott

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I cant think of a better location for one of the grocery store than the abandon danes/prevos/family fare spot at 28th and cascade, that place is sad and right in the epicenter of their demographics. There is a harvest health food in that mall but its just not the same as they are overpriced and more "intense" than the others. Harvest Health is a great small market store that I could see doing well downtown

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Sparty97 Whistle-Stop

Sparty97

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In my opinion, Trader Joe's is not a direct competitor to D&W and is definitely of little concern to Meijer.  The average Trader Joe only has 4,000 products and has a very small footprint (think Aldi).  This is compared to the over 120,000 that might be at a Meijer or closer to 40,000 @ D&W.

 

Whole Foods might eat a little bit of their market share for organic/health foods but will not eliminate those other stores from your shopping rotation.

 

Additionally, both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's will do well wherever they locate.  You will have people drive from all over West Michigan.  I know of at least 20+ people that budget time to stop by Whole Foods and Trader Joe's whenever they are in Detroit and Chicago.  They both have cult like followings.  I know that my wife does this and she often will have a shopping list from friends/family when she is going to make a stop.   I'm sure those people will go to these stores whether it is in Grandville or in Ada. I would be surprised if they both stores didn't eventually have stores on both sides of town within a couple of years.

 

For these reason, I do think that Knapp's corner is a viable location.  It is close to 96 & 196.  It is a fast growing part of town with Rockford/Ada/Plainfield all close by.  I think people will just split their purchases between multiple stores the way they do for Costco, Meijer and Aldi right now.  In fact, I expect people will spend more money on groceries with these stores in town.  I know my family would happily spend a little more time and a little more money for items at their stores. 

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

Posted
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Do you think this is why Meijer is spending major $$ to upgrade their Knapp st store?

Gearing up for the coming competition...Possibly right down the street?

 

Could be. Plus they're talking about making it a "flagship" store with new lines and more organics.

 

50,000 cars a day go by that corner, MDOT is talking about making it 3 lanes in each direction up to Knapp, the last site plan shows a Whole Foods sized store at the North end by PF Chang's. I also remember when the 3 Mile village was proposed, the demographics were right in line with what they look for (high hh income, high education, high median home prices).

 

People shop at a lot of different stores now. We shop at Meijer, D&W, the Farmer's Market and Costco, depending on what food we need or want.

 

Any spots in the new Centerpointe Mall layout that might hold a Whole Foods? We may get two WF's within a couple of years, bang bang.

 

Someone said that H&M is talking about a 2 story store in Woodland? With exterior exposure like North Face? (was it in this thread?). I was thinking of where that might be, and I believe there's a space in the Sears wing near Victoria's Secret that seems to have a lot of turnover. Was a Michigan/Michigan State store once.

 

All those people moaning about these stores not looking at downtown really need to encourage (push) the city to get some kind of housing strategy going. Stores need 10,000 people, of a certain decent income, period. Downtown, despite having a lot of new market rate and luxury housing, does not stack up yet. The average HH income I believe is in the $20K's. That's not good.

 

 

EDIT:

 

Looks like H&M is going in where Charlotte Russe and Lenscrafters are. In the same wing I thought but on the other side.

 

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2013/03/why_hm_opening_first_grand_rap.html#incart_river_default

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Telecaster Rex Unincorporated Area

Telecaster Rex

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50,000 cars a day go by that corner, MDOT is talking about making it 3 lanes in each direction up to Knapp, the last site plan shows a Whole Foods sized store at the North end by PF Chang's. I also remember when the 3 Mile village was proposed, the demographics were right in line with what they look for (high hh income, high education, high median home prices).

 

The building at the north end of that site plan might be Whole Foods sized, however I can all but guarantee you D&W received a food store restriction covering the rest of the Benner development when they acquired their parcel to build the D&W store.

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wingbert Burg

wingbert

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I cant think of a better location for one of the grocery store than the abandon danes/prevos/family fare spot at 28th and cascade, that place is sad and right in the epicenter of their demographics. There is a harvest health food in that mall but its just not the same as they are overpriced and more "intense" than the others. Harvest Health is a great small market store that I could see doing well downtown

 

Does Spartan Stores have any ownership in that location?  It does seem like an ideal location for those guys.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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The building at the north end of that site plan might be Whole Foods sized, however I can all but guarantee you D&W received a food store restriction covering the rest of the Benner development when they acquired their parcel to build the D&W store.

 

 

It doesn't surprise me. Wonder if it would hold up any more, with all the legal wranglings going on with that project.

 

Maybe WF's is looking at Celebration Village? There's still the site across from the theater sitting empty.

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Telecaster Rex Unincorporated Area

Telecaster Rex

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It doesn't surprise me. Wonder if it would hold up any more, with all the legal wranglings going on with that project.

 

Maybe WF's is looking at Celebration Village? There's still the site across from the theater sitting empty.

 

The restriction likely runs with the land, regardless of who the owner is - the ongoing legal wrangling likely will not affect the validity of the restriction.

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Sparty97 Whistle-Stop

Sparty97

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Nice.  Well, it looks like we were fooled again.  In the meanwhile, I did find a listing for the Brenner Development.  $26M.  They also mention that they have agreements with 3 more tenants:

 

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/17623551/2100-East-Beltline-Ave-NE-Grand-Rapids-MI/#

 

 

"We also successfully signed the lease commitment with several national Tenants namely Bravo/Brio Restaurant Group with opening of Bravo Cucina Italian restaurant, Boyne Country Sports with opening of a high end golf equipment and ski equipment store and Rusty Bucket restaurant. Bravo Cucina and Boyne Country sports are ready to be built up."

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