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Grocery Store Downcity


provid

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i go to the needham store. that way i can go up one more exit and hit Chestnut Hill Mall and Atrium Mall at the same time. its not a bad drive, really, especially on a saturday or sunday morning...

I hit the Needham one too, more of a straight shot right up 95 the whole way. Versus the one in Framingham thats 95 to 495 to rte 9. Pain in the butt. I used to live in Framingham and the Framingham one is really nice, plus has a Whole Foods that is good and an awesome liquor store next to it. So that troika is sometimes enough to get me to go there.

But whenver I go to either Framingham or the Needham one, I always am in a bad mood at having to travel to another state for something I should have in my own city.

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I hit the Needham one too, more of a straight shot right up 95 the whole way. Versus the one in Framingham thats 95 to 495 to rte 9. Pain in the butt. I used to live in Framingham and the Framingham one is really nice, plus has a Whole Foods that is good and an awesome liquor store next to it. So that troika is sometimes enough to get me to go there.

But whenver I go to either Framingham or the Needham one, I always am in a bad mood at having to travel to another state for something I should have in my own city.

My preference is to hit the one on Beacon St in Brookline (which has beer and wine unlike Needham) on the way to Fenway. The tricky party is maintaining a steady supply of Sox tickets.

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What is so great about Trader Joe's, how's it different from Whole Foods?

it is by far cheaper. In fact, it is by far cheaper than most regular grocery stores, for a far better product. I go about once a month and load up on frozen dinners, frozen veggies, red sauce, pasta, olive oil, granola, nuts, coffee, cereal etc. All stuff that i could get at whole foods for easily twice+ the price.

Because i team the trip up with mall shopping, and sometimes visiting friends in brookline, it is a good and worthy trek for me. Did you know that at the Chestnut HIll Mall they have a shop called "dippers" where they dip all kinds of things--fruit, cookies, brownies, candy, nuts into chocolate RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!?

There is also a Crate and Barrel furniture store, an Anthropologie, some more professional clothing choices at stores up there, and up until recently, Zathmary's was the best place to get a sammich on the eastern seaboard. not sure why they went out of business.

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If Trader Joe's thinks easy highway access and ample surface parking are among the things that are important for them to locate a store in Providence, then I'd rather not have them locate a store in Providence. Come back when you think differently or let someone who gets our urban environment come to the city.

Now of course parking is important, especially for a grocery store, but TJ seems to be insisting on surface parking, why do they need surface parking?

Highway access is also important to companies, but if people are willing to drive to another state to shop at your store, I think people would be willing to go a couple blocks off the highway to reach the only one in this state. And really, where in Providence isn't there good highway access? We're ringed and riddled with highways.

If Trader Joe's wanted to be here, they would be. They could be in the base of any of the current condo projects with a good urban store. They could be signing on at ALCO. They could have their damn surface parking on North Main if that is what's really important to them. And if highway access and parking are important to them, there's plenty of room in Warwick, Center of New England, Johnston...

Did you know that at the Chestnut HIll Mall they have a shop called "dippers" where they dip all kinds of things--fruit, cookies, brownies, candy, nuts into chocolate RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!?

Yes, I did, thanks for reminding me. Now I need to buy a car and carbon load the atmosphere and go up there. :silly:

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What is so great about Trader Joe's, how's it different from Whole Foods?

For me its price, quality and booze.

One thing to keep in mind TJ's is not a full service grocery store. There is no fresh seafood, meat or deli counter. They have some produce and cheese. I see the strengths as: dry goods, condiments, snacks (esp. the dunkable chocolate chip, chocolate coated cookies), frozen prepared foods (meals, snacks and desserts) and the aforementioned wine and beer.

As for Cotuit's CO2 comment, I wouldn't drive an hour just to go TJ's but if I have any reason to be in the Boston metro, I'll find the closest one and stock up.

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One thing to keep in mind TJ's is not a full service grocery store. There is no fresh seafood, meat or deli counter. They have some produce and cheese. I see the strengths as: dry goods, condiments, snacks (esp. the dunkable chocolate chip, chocolate coated cookies), frozen prepared foods (meals, snacks and desserts) and the aforementioned wine and beer.

That's the other thing about Trader Joe's, we keep talking about it as a Downcity/Near West Side thing, but what those area really do (or in the case of Downcity, will) need is a full service grocery. Trader Joe's would be all well and good to have in the city or a nearby suburb, but I'm more interested in seeing a full service place to serve Downcity, the Near West Side, and the Jewelry District.

As for Cotuit's CO2 comment, I wouldn't drive an hour just to go TJ's but if I have any reason to be in the Boston metro, I'll find the closest one and stock up.

I was being a bit cheeky, I should hope no one here drives 50 miles just for Trader Joe's. Now driving 50 miles for the Happy Endings Dessert Spa, that I could forgive. :lol:

you can ride with me sometime if you ever want to check it out.

I could also take the Commuter Rail to the Green Line.

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Did you know that at the Chestnut HIll Mall they have a shop called "dippers" where they dip all kinds of things--fruit, cookies, brownies, candy, nuts into chocolate RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!?

Is it free like all the samples at Le Gourmet Chef, damn I love that place, I used to skip meals and just go there and pretend like I was shopping while loading up on chips, bread and dip...

Where was it said that Trader Joe's is beotchy about surface parking? I had heard this about Whole Foods, they won't even consider a new store now unless it has the usual sea of parking other grocery stores have. We tried to recruit them to do an urban store in Albany and they wouldn't even talk to us.

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Where was it said that Trader Joe's is beotchy about surface parking?

It's been said, it isn't necessarily a corporate philosophy, but it is what they are currently looking for in Providence, on-site surface parking.

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wholefoods in chicago does not have the usual sea of surface parking. It actually has parking above the store and you take an elevator down. The Wegman's in Fairfax VA has two levels of parking to decrease its footprint. Grocery stores can and will make changes to their parking plan, they simply have to be told to.

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It's been said, it isn't necessarily a corporate philosophy, but it is what they are currently looking for in Providence, on-site surface parking.

Trader Joe's on Boylston in Boston is a great example of an urban TJ's. How solid is the info that that is what TJ's requires in Providence?

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Trader Joe's on Boylston in Boston is a great example of an urban TJ's. How solid is the info that that is what TJ's requires in Providence?

I have to admit, I wouldn't mind a sea of surface parking one as long as it was on Providence Highway in Dedham or something.

the best location for highway access and parking and interesting architechture and not in use is the Apex building in Pawtucket, though. They could get a TJ's in there in about 2 months, I would think. the parking is already there, but it is also a 2 minute walk from the central bus, etc.

Another good place for them might be the old Jordan Marsh (I think) or Sears location on Morth Main, although I'm not sure how they would go about getting them.

Most likely, though, given retail desires and local politics, it will end up in a place like the Center of New England.

Speaking of nasty surface parking, retail, and Providence, the Wal-Mart on Silver Spring is going to end up being nastier than I even thought. I don't know how "building the street" allowed them to put the building 60 feet from the street. And it would have been better to grant them a setback but demand trees.

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If Wholefoods would just give up the old Waterman ST Location it would be perfect for TJ's. It's also the right size for TJ's (and way to small for the current WholeFoods format).

Damn its 1:20 and I havent gone to lunch yet and this thread is making me REALLY hungry. Now if only my office wasn't in the middle of nowhere.

Liam

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If I could get a TJs rep to Providence, you think we could pack (literally pack) tazza and show the demand to them? That'd be an interesting tactic.

If it would have a chance of getting them to rethink the surface parking need, I'd attend (as a car-free Providencian who doesn't need no stinkin' surface parking). But as I said, I like Trader Joe's well enough and all, but if a Trader Joe's vs. a full-service grocery is an and-or proposition for Downcity/Near West Side, I'd rather work to convince the full-service grocer.

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If it would have a chance of getting them to rethink the surface parking need, I'd attend (as a car-free Providencian who doesn't need no stinkin' surface parking). But as I said, I like Trader Joe's well enough and all, but if a Trader Joe's vs. a full-service grocery is an and-or proposition for Downcity/Near West Side, I'd rather work to convince the full-service grocer.

do you think stop and shop would put a location there? or maybe a shaws?

i don't know what other full-service grocery chains there are in RI. maybe A&P?

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If we were to get a Trader Joe's Downcity, what are the chances that we could also get somesort of green grocer/fish market/butcher shop as well to compliment it?

One of the ideas that came out of the Cathedral Square Workshop was locating a grocery store on the edge of the square (the northern end of the present auditorium which is proposed to be demolished) and having that store open it's produce section onto the square during business hours, a kind of year round pseudo farmers market.

Also, if the Produce Warehouse ends up having some sort of farmers market worked into it, that could be a good spot for a Trader Joe's as well. You can't deny that that location has good highway access, and at least preliminarily, that location will have a lot of surface parking, though I hope we can end up having it put under something else or made into a garage.

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i don't know what other full-service grocery chains there are in RI. maybe A&P?

It doesn't have to be a store that already is established in RI, in fact bringing someone new in would create some good competition since the New England grocery store market has been consolidating over the last decade or so.

Fairway in New York has stores on the Upper West Side, in Harlem, and a new store in Red Hook, Brooklyn. I've never been to one, but they seem to have a Trader Joe's like following.

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Oddly, when we approached TJs some years ago (four maybe?) about relocating on the West Side, we were told that they only move into space vacated by a pharmacy sized retail entity and had to be built to the street with an entrance on the street and with parking in the back only. And, it had to be in a neighborhood that was walkable. Sounds like a much different soundbyte than what is being told now regarding TJs.

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