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When are we getting a Trader Joe's?

drinsema-sybenga

By drinsema-sybenga
in Grand Rapids

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snoogit Town

snoogit

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Back in the day D&W was dabbling in this concept with mixed success. Now that D&W is just another spartan warehouse I don't hold out much hope for this type of experimentation to happen again. Grocery shopping in Grand Rapids is becoming very homoginized.

Here's a short list of where I try to shop:

G B Russo - italian, cheeses, wines

Kingmas - butcher, fresh produce, cheeses, local seasonal

Van Balls - butcher

Harvest Health - organics, vitamins, grains

Penzeys - spices

Trixie

I looove the Harvest Health, get all my Macadamia Nut Oil there.

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phreebyrd Crossroads

phreebyrd

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Having been to Trader Joes (at least the one up Woodward Ave in Royal Oak), I'd think that Trader Joes would have a strong appeal to the sort of demo that lives not far from Fulton Hts D&W and then draw from suburbanites to the east and southeast of that location. That Fulton Heights D&W site would be a great place for it... walkability would work, and it's right on a key Rapid bus line.

If TJ's comes to GR, I bet they will pick a site within the central city. Michigan, east of Diamond or the Fulton Heights D&W.

As much as they need parking, I believe walkability & transit opportunites need to be present on-site.

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LA Dave Hamlet

LA Dave

Posted
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Back in the day D&W was dabbling in this concept with mixed success. Now that D&W is just another spartan warehouse I don't hold out much hope for this type of experimentation to happen again. Grocery shopping in Grand Rapids is becoming very homoginized.

Here's a short list of where I try to shop:

G B Russo - italian, cheeses, wines

Kingmas - butcher, fresh produce, cheeses, local seasonal

Van Balls - butcher

Harvest Health - organics, vitamins, grains

Penzeys - spices

Trixie

Curious -- is that the "Van Balls" in the North end? If so, I have a story. Apparently, the real family is name is "von Balls" or something similar. German. Sehr deutsch. Well, being a Dutch town, the owners thought that "Van Balls" would be more customer friendly. At least that's what they told my parents many years ago.

As a German-American, growing up in a Dutch-American town, I can only laugh. Great wurst, though.

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snoogit Town

snoogit

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Curious -- is that the "Van Balls" in the North end? If so, I have a story. Apparently, the real family is name is "von Balls" or something similar. German. Sehr deutsch. Well, being a Dutch town, the owners thought that "Van Balls" would be more customer friendly. At least that's what they told my parents many years ago.

As a German-American, growing up in a Dutch-American town, I can only laugh. Great wurst, though.

Vanderbaal's may have worked better for the dutch community ;)

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Trixie Unincorporated Area

Trixie

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Curious -- is that the "Van Balls" in the North end? If so, I have a story. Apparently, the real family is name is "von Balls" or something similar. German. Sehr deutsch. Well, being a Dutch town, the owners thought that "Van Balls" would be more customer friendly. At least that's what they told my parents many years ago.

As a German-American, growing up in a Dutch-American town, I can only laugh. Great wurst, though.

That's the one.

Great wurst is right.

Trixie

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  • 2 weeks later...
twoshort Town

twoshort

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I went to Trader Joe's this weekend in Novi. What a cool store, but I couldn't afford any of the food (at least not the meat):D.

I did get a 6 pack of Frugal Joe's Ordinary Beer and two bottles of Two Buck Chuck (a merlot and a shiraz) for less than 12 bucks though. Very nice.

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maallis10 Crossroads

maallis10

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I'd love to have a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods here in Grand Rapids (I visit the Whole Foods every time I go to Ann Arbor, and Trader Joe's whenever I'm in Detroit). I think the conservatism reputation of Grand Rapids scares off many good businesses that would be viable in Grand Rapids.

I also think we need to have outside investment in our infrastructure in order to continue to maintain a marketplace for unique, locally owned urban businesses. Businesses that attract the same kind of consumers build a critical mass, better for long-term sustainability. Competition is good for the soul!

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ModSquad Hamlet

ModSquad

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I am currently in LA at a conference...more on the conference later. I am at some friends house right now and we just got done shopping at Trader Joes.

This is what I have to say...if the Coroporation does not open a Trader Joes soon in Grand Rapids, I think I will have to scrape ip the money to open one myself.

I am reminded again today of what an awesome store this is.

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snoogit Town

snoogit

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Would you mind extrapolating on that? :huh: That does not make any sense to me.

Harvest Foods has been in GR for 4 decades and has done well as an organic food company.

Personally I'd like to see them expand a little more myself. Maybe move closer to DT, and open a bigger store.

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drinsema-sybenga Whistle-Stop

drinsema-sybenga

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I am currently in LA at a conference...more on the conference later. I am at some friends house right now and we just got done shopping at Trader Joes.

This is what I have to say...if the Coroporation does not open a Trader Joes soon in Grand Rapids, I think I will have to scrape ip the money to open one myself.

I am reminded again today of what an awesome store this is.

Which one were you at?

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ModSquad Hamlet

ModSquad

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Which one were you at?

The National Housing Institute along with the Ford Foundation sponsored a Community Development/Public School Construction Practitioner's Forum. They invited 20 people from around the US to meet in LA to discuss policy and practice of Public School Building Construction and Community Development.

It was an incredible opporunity and experience and I believe will prove seminal in regard to national policy in regard to these two issues which are currently operating in silos

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eagle Whistle-Stop

eagle

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Harvest Foods has been in GR for 4 decades and has done well as an organic food company.

Personally I'd like to see them expand a little more myself. Maybe move closer to DT, and open a bigger store.

Harvest Health is a great store. I agree it'd be great if they'd build a bigger store and downtown would be great. They've buit a really nice, and larger, store in Hudsonville. We can actually get to that store quicker but I feel like I'm betraying my UP family if I drive to Hudsonville to shop so we usually go to the Eastern Store :lol: .

I spoke with the produce buyer and he said they have a really hard time getting any more organic produce. There's obviously a limited supply of organic produce in the country and he said it gets sucked up by California and locally, Chicago. Even if they built a larger store they wouldn't be able to provide a larger fresh produce section.

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adf28 Crossroads

adf28

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Harvest Health is a great store. I agree it'd be great if they'd build a bigger store and downtown would be great. They've buit a really nice, and larger, store in Hudsonville. We can actually get to that store quicker but I feel like I'm betraying my UP family if I drive to Hudsonville to shop so we usually go to the Eastern Store :lol: .

I spoke with the produce buyer and he said they have a really hard time getting any more organic produce. There's obviously a limited supply of organic produce in the country and he said it gets sucked up by California and locally, Chicago. Even if they built a larger store they wouldn't be able to provide a larger fresh produce section.

I generally tend to agree that buying local is better, but my frustration with Harvest Health Foods as a GR transplant is the inability to complete my entire grocery list there. East Lansing has a really good independent health food store (Foods For Living) that has a pretty good organic fruit & vegetable selection (albeit rarely locally produced). Probably the main differences from Whole Foods/Trader Joes is the limited bakery, deli, & meat sections as well as no alcohol. Short story long, if an independent store can make it work - great. If not I would rather see a Whole Foods, Wild Oats, or trader Joes.

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cityslicker Whistle-Stop

cityslicker

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The New York Times has an interesting article on Trader Joe's coming to New York. It takes an inside look at this fiercely private company. Everytime I am in the West Chicago area TJs is a must stop, and I would love for them to move a little closer. I heard a rumour that the make site decisions based on Bon Appetit subscriptions which was almost enough to get me to subscribe. Anyone else will to launch a subscription campaign to "lobby" this retailer?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/08/dining/08joes.html

I have spoken with the "man" that makes the calls on site selections...(In the Mid-West) He stated they did a market feasibility test and GR did not work for them. IF in fact they decided to come here, they would be located on 28th street...

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Trixie Unincorporated Area

Trixie

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My cooking buddies started a huge lobbying campaign sometime in 2002, to no avail. We got some excuse about population dispersement. Here's what they look for:

1. Amount of college educated residents

2. Income

3. Population concentration of 1 & 2 above.

Grand Rapids, in all its suburban glory - doesn't make the cut. Yet. Quick, let's all move to Knapp Corners!

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misskelliecmu Unincorporated Area

misskelliecmu

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I have spoken with the "man" that makes the calls on site selections...(In the Mid-West) He stated they did a market feasibility test and GR did not work for them. IF in fact they decided to come here, they would be located on 28th street...

That stinks! I'm tired of driving into Detroit and Chicago to get my fix!

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