Downtown Grocery Store

[twincity]

any thoughts on this? would you rather a co-op or a chain supermarket for downtown. at least we now know that there is a definite demand for downtown grocery.

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[Hotlanta]

I think a chain store would go better downtown. People would be wary at first if an independent store set up shop. I'm glad to see there is demand for the this! I hope we get a Harris Teeter downtown soon!

[Tre 4]

I think a chain store would go better downtown. People would be wary at first if an independent store set up shop. I'm glad to see there is demand for the this! I hope we get a Harris Teeter downtown soon!

Yea one of of those Harris Teeter Exprees would look good down-town, like the one in charlotte near the hostipal uptown.

[don julio]

Yea one of of those Harris Teeter Exprees would look good down-town, like the one in charlotte near the hostipal uptown.

When we lived in Columbia (they are big are revitalizing their downtown too), they opened up a Publix in an old confederate money printing mill downtown. It was really cool. Publix would be good stuff, but they don't have a market in NC yet.

[Hotlanta]

When we lived in Columbia (they are big are revitalizing their downtown too), they opened up a Publix in an old confederate money printing mill downtown. It was really cool. Publix would be good stuff, but they don't have a market in NC yet.

I wish they would come! I just wish they would come! I'll keep wishing.

[SouthJersey7]

You know it's funny but I believe Greensboro already has a small downtown grocery (sort of a 'gourmet' i.e. expensive place) as well as a bodega type place on Elm St. Both of these types of business are found commonly in big cities. I never did know just why G'boro has these and WS does not. Did WS have more of these type of businesses at one time? Presumably they would have shut down or moved as downtown lost it's population. Maybe it also has to do with the condo development on Elm in Gboro.

[quazi]

Not sure if there is enough population for a downtown grocery. I think one at the gatewat would be excelle3nt. Would twin city residents support a co-op. Not sure they have one in greensboro but I think you would need strong leadership to make it work in winston. To many people want a fmiliar name(Lowes, HT) versus the things that many associate with a co-op(organic, grass roots low price)

You know it's funny but I believe Greensboro already has a small downtown grocery (sort of a 'gourmet' i.e. expensive place) as well as a bodega type place on Elm St. Both of these types of business are found commonly in big cities. I never did know just why G'boro has these and WS does not. Did WS have more of these type of businesses at one time? Presumably they would have shut down or moved as downtown lost it's population. Maybe it also has to do with the condo development on Elm in Gboro.

[Hotlanta]

Not sure if there is enough population for a downtown grocery. I think one at the gatewat would be excelle3nt. Would twin city residents support a co-op. Not sure they have one in greensboro but I think you would need strong leadership to make it work in winston. To many people want a fmiliar name(Lowes, HT) versus the things that many associate with a co-op(organic, grass roots low price)

I agree! People would be more trusting with a name brand grocery store in their own backyard. I think that downtown citizens would be wary and cautious if an independent grocery store opened up especially a co-op. A chain would be much more sucessful downtown and everybody would benefit from it.

[DigitalSky]

Winston should have a Lowes Foods downtown... after all it IS based in Winston Salem!!

[StevenRocks]

Winston should have a Lowes Foods downtown... after all it IS based in Winston Salem!!

I know that's right

[SouthJersey7]

Winston should have a Lowes Foods downtown... after all it IS based in Winston Salem!!

Huh, so is KrispyKreme and yet neither one has a downtown location. That's kind of sad

[sax184]

Anybody who won't shop at a grocery store unless they are "comforted" by a familiar brand is

1. NOT going to live downtown.

2. NOT going to shop downtown because they won't be able to park in a massive lot in front of a store.

Compared to the notion of shopping at Harris Teeter or Lowe's Foods, shopping at a differently named store is not nearly as big a mental barrier as parking and walking 2 blocks to the grocery.

Any downtown grocery will need to be supported mostly by people shopping on foot, bike, and short car trips fom downtown residents. It will then need to garner supplemental income from people drawn to the store from outside downtown.

The people in the latter category will come only if they can get food and products they cannot get anywhere else. A HT or Lowe's foods shoots that market in the foot precisely because they are ubiquitous. Why would a suburbanite take the trouble to go to a downtown Harris Teeter when there are so many more accessible ones in the suburban neighborhoods?

A co-op is the way to go, and they should look into recruiting Weaver Street Market from Carrboro. They're having trouble opening a Hillsborough store; maybe Winston would be more accomodating?

[tifneedham]

I'm part of a group that's working to get a co-op started downtown. Would anyone be interested in attending a meeting?

[intcvlcphlga]

A co-op grocery store might be the way to go if a company like Lowes is not willing to locate a store downtown. A co-op offers the benefits of local ownership and quality control. It could act as a sort of community gathering place as well as a local farmer's market - which Ronnie's Country Store already does, drawing people from places like Buena Vista for their produce. According to an article in today's W-S Journal, one of the organizers of the potential co-op estimates that there are 8000 residents downtown. I'm not sure what the typical population that one of the big chains generally is built to support (maybe someone know the answer to this).

Lowes or one of the other grocery store chains would have to depart from their normal typology because they wouldn't be able to have the amount of square footage or parking that they have in their suburban stores. In larger urban cities where gocery stores are necessitated by the population density, most store offer delivery services in addition to having many locations. For instance, there are 4 large urban (not large by suburban standards) grocery stores, countless bodegas and 2 high end (Wholefoods and Garden of Eden) within a 5 block radius of my apartment. None of these stores offer any parking, but all of them deliver.

[ncbrian]

The best location for a site will be near the West End Village development to take advantage of the new condos as well as existing housing.

If it is close enough to downtown so as to put it into a 10 minute walk or 5 minute drive from the office buildings along N Main St, it should get a boost from post workhours sales of non-residents in the downtown. If a good prepared foods section is incorporated in the design, it should draw additional traffic.

[Hotlanta]

The best location for a site will be near the West End Village development to take advantage of the new condos as well as existing housing.

If it is close enough to downtown so as to put it into a 10 minute walk or 5 minute drive from the office buildings along N Main St, it should get a boost from post workhours sales of non-residents in the downtown. If a good prepared foods section is incorporated in the design, it should draw additional traffic.

A more centralized location downtown would attract more people then one on the outskirts of downtown. I do like your location but I think it would be better suited for instance in the parking lot in front of GMAC on 4th St. I have changed my mind and think an independently owned or a co-op would be better for downtown and make it more unique. I would be interested in attending that meeting that tifneedham brought up/ Do you have any more information?

[quazi]

I agree with you whole heartedly. However we must ask ourselves if there are enough people living downtown to support a store. Later in this thread someone mentions 8000 people living downtown - I think that is only true if you draw that downtown circle fairly wide. We must remember that winston had no co-op and barely suported two very small natural food store for a long time. They have supported Whole Foods but look at winston compared to gso, similar sized cities but they have 3-4 co-op, natural food stores. Just a different mentality. I think any store must be willing struggle for several years. A store will defintely draw more people to live downtown especially if they know they can walk or take a 2-3 min ride to a store. But that is a classic chicken and egg dilemna. No storeI still thin the gateway would be a better location. It could draw from downtown and washington park. The only store near wash park is the pathetic lowes in parkway plaza. If it does go in the heart of down town I would hope it is combined with condos on the upper floors

Anybody who won't shop at a grocery store unless they are "comforted" by a familiar brand is

1. NOT going to live downtown.

2. NOT going to shop downtown because they won't be able to park in a massive lot in front of a store.

Compared to the notion of shopping at Harris Teeter or Lowe's Foods, shopping at a differently named store is not nearly as big a mental barrier as parking and walking 2 blocks to the grocery.

Any downtown grocery will need to be supported mostly by people shopping on foot, bike, and short car trips fom downtown residents. It will then need to garner supplemental income from people drawn to the store from outside downtown.

The people in the latter category will come only if they can get food and products they cannot get anywhere else. A HT or Lowe's foods shoots that market in the foot precisely because they are ubiquitous. Why would a suburbanite take the trouble to go to a downtown Harris Teeter when there are so many more accessible ones in the suburban neighborhoods?

A co-op is the way to go, and they should look into recruiting Weaver Street Market from Carrboro. They're having trouble opening a Hillsborough store; maybe Winston would be more accomodating?