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Urban Grocery Stores

Southron

By Southron
in Birmingham

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Southron Burg

Southron

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Birmingham leaders, looking to draw grocers to inner-city areas, visited Montgomery on Thursday to meet with the owner of Calhoun Foods, which operates six grocery stores in under-served areas of Montgomery, Selma and Tuskegee.

The Calhoun store buildings were abandoned by national chains, but owner Greg Calhoun found success in these areas with unfavorable demographics. Calhoun could more than double the size of his business by expanding into Birmingham.

Mayor Bernard Kincaid said an incentive package may be put together to recruit grocers into the under-served areas of Birmingham.

Montgomery Advertiser article: Birmingham wants Calhoun Foods to expand into its inner-city areas

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kayman Town

kayman

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Although this has been a quiet issue, Publix has been pandering at the idea of opening a location in the Downtown, Midtown areas. However, this coming to fruition is at least 5 years away because their main complaint is that area doesn't have a sufficient population to support a location.

Back to this topic, this would very much help keep the $$$ in the City's revenue coffers rather than going to the suburbs where most of the grocers are nowadays. I remember just a few years back, considering even then Birmingham was in a similar condition it still had a number of grocers in its city limits. Now, that is totally different story. Other than the Publix and Bruno's in Crestwood and the Bruno's/Vincent Market at The Summit, I can't think of any other actual grocers (excluding Wal-Mart) in the city.

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kayman Town

kayman

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I'm wondering with so much redevelopment and new residential units being constructed in Glen Iris, Southside, and Forest Park, why isn't there any grocers trying to move into the area. The incomes in those areas are substantial enough to support a Publix.

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Southron Burg

Southron

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I'm wondering with so much redevelopment and new residential units being constructed in Glen Iris, Southside, and Forest Park, why isn't there any grocers trying to move into the area. The incomes in those areas are substantial enough to support a Publix.
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dfwtiger Whistle-Stop

dfwtiger

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Yeah, I forgot about the Piggly Wiggly with Tria Market inside the store on Clairmont, but I do at least remember the Western Supermarket also. I still think Publix should be looking to expand into the area because their Greensprings store in Homewood and the store in Crestwood is way too far.
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convulso Hamlet

convulso

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there's also a relatively new market that opened not too far from dreamland barbecue - i lived in the glen iris neighborhood when it was being built - it was to occupy an existing building with a west-facing storefront - but i don't know if it has been successful or if it is even still open.

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bhamsly Whistle-Stop

bhamsly

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http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingh...0929600^1470907

Some good news for Downtown Birmingham. Hopefully a Publix will come. Bruno's would be great as well in an effort to try to claim its hometown back. I think that Calhoun Food's place will soon open a store in the old Southern Family Home (Food Fair) building right off of UAB's campus. Things are only getting better for downtown and Southside. I think a nice retail project would be a great asset for the area west of the "Expressway" near Seaboard Yard, Pepper Place, Sloss, and Lakeview.

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kayman Town

kayman

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The picture in the story mentions Kroger? Kroger got ran out Alabama by Bruno's back in 1970's. They just not got back into Alabama via the Huntsville-Decatur area in the past 8 years. However, since Bruno's is now in critical condition market share-wise, I wonder if Kroger will make another appearance in the market? I would love to see a Kroger store like the 1 in Midtown Atlanta on Peachtree Road where it is 2 level urban store with enterances on the front and the back. The back part also has a streetfront along with the enterance.

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VistaLakes01 Hamlet

VistaLakes01

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I think if B-ham gets an urban grocery store it will be a Publix, they are doing that concept big time down here in their home state of Florida. We are about to get our third urban Publix in Orlando, this one in the heart of downtown. We have one in the Colonialtown neighborhood that's got a cool deco look to it and one in the College Park neighborhood that emulates the old original Publix design with the big "wings" on the sign. There is a cool 2 story Publix down south in SoBe and another in downtown Ft. Lauderdale and a downtown store in Hyde Park in downtown Tampa. Also there is an urban Publix in downtown Maitland in one of Orlando's close-in suburbs that is building a new downtown with high rise condos and lofts. If you go to www.theparamountonlakeeola.com and then click on the retailers link you can see the Publix. Hope you guys get your urban grocery, I've always thought Birmingham is a beautiful city with a lot of potential!

To see a picture of a cool urban Publix in Orlando's college park go to:

search.cityguide.aol.com/orlando/entertainment/publix

To see an excellent picture of downtown Orlando's colonialtown publix, go to this website and click on the colonialtown publix:

orlandosentinel.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?

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Alabadrock Hamlet

Alabadrock

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The picture in the story mentions Kroger? Kroger got ran out Alabama by Bruno's back in 1970's. They just not got back into Alabama via the Huntsville-Decatur area in the past 8 years. However, since Bruno's is now in critical condition market share-wise, I wonder if Kroger will make another appearance in the market? I would love to see a Kroger store like the 1 in Midtown Atlanta on Peachtree Road where it is 2 level urban store with enterances on the front and the back. The back part also has a streetfront along with the enterance.
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Alabadrock Hamlet

Alabadrock

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I really meant Central Alabama, to be more exact. There was a time back in the 1970's when Kroger was all over this region just like A&P Supermarkets, but Bruno's basically pushed them both out the region. Most of their former stores became Piggly Wiggly or were abandoned. Up until the 1990's, I heard there was a Kroger's in Tuscaloosa, but I'm not sure when it closed or changed over.

I knew about the Kroger stores in North Alabama, but I couldn't remember exactly how long they've been there.

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kayman Town

kayman

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I just heard that there maybe another Publix store to open in the immediate City Center area, and it will be an urban store. I'm not sure where it will be, but I heard it will be very close to UAB. If anybody else has anymore details about this be sure to elaborate.

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zen509 Unincorporated Area

zen509

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I just heard that there maybe another Publix store to open in the immediate City Center area, and it will be an urban store. I'm not sure where it will be, but I heard it will be very close to UAB. If anybody else has anymore details about this be sure to elaborate.
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