Harris Teeter

[Skyline49er]

Oh cool, it was interesting all last year watching them progress that spot. What was there before they rebuilt it to redo Harris Teeter, I can't remember ever seeing it not empty.

Before it was Harris Teeter it was a Media Play, but I don't know when that Media Play went out of business.

[monsoon]

Before it was Harris Teeter it was a Media Play, but I don't know when that Media Play went out of business.

Before it was a Media Play, it was originally built as a Brendles. Brendles is a now defunct chain that sold consumer electronics, household goods, computers,and similar items. The Harris Teeter that is there now, has always been in that strip mall. It was expanded once around 1993 or so.

[voyager12]

Has anyone heard anything more about the East Blvd HT's plans to expand into the photoshop and the vacant MM space? I thought I read that on here ages ago. I primarily shop at this Teeter and the store is much too small for all the volume it gets. The parking lot is a major pain during rush hour. Everything in that strip is just squeezed together too tightly.

[Skyline49er]

One of my friends went to the new HT today and said it was really nice. He said there was a Starbucks, a sub place, and a lounge area to read magazines in the store. He also said it was huge, too.

[voyager12]

Oh god, I am suffering from a uniquely Charlotte type of malady: neighborhood HT envy

[atlrvr]

I really like the East Blvd. HT....maybe just because I was used to it....some of the stores in South Charlotte seem so impersonal, like the Arboretum and Stonecrest.....

[DigitalSky]

I really like the East Blvd. HT....maybe just because I was used to it....some of the stores in South Charlotte seem so impersonal, like the Arboretum and Stonecrest.....

The East Blvd HT - half of it has the low drop ceilings that give it that "small homey" feel and the other half has the open warehouse ceilings

[otherstream]

The East Blvd HT - half of it has the low drop ceilings that give it that "small homey" feel and the other half has the open warehouse ceilings

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it already expanded once before? I think the drop ceiling side is the original store and the warehouse is the addition, but I can't swear to that.

[Batou]

Before it was a Media Play, it was originally built as a Brendles. Brendles is a now defunct chain that sold consumer electronics, household goods, computers,and similar items. The Harris Teeter that is there now, has always been in that strip mall. It was expanded once around 1993 or so.

Heh yeah before mediaplay i remeber brendals being in the spot where there was one in Gastonia, I was real young so i barely remember the stores itself but i still have an old vhs tape that has a catchy commercial for the stores "Brendals you're the one for me" or something like that is how it went. Sucks that they closed i liked mediaplay.

[mediamongrel]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it already expanded once before? I think the drop ceiling side is the original store and the warehouse is the addition, but I can't swear to that.

Correct! Dropped ceilings, Produce departments in the rear, and public restrooms near Dairy, are all "signatures" of 1970-1990 HT designs. Personally, I enjoy the old style of supermarket layout and architecture. It seems like when they open up a grocery store these days, they tend do overdo the design as far as square footage and create unnecessary drama when you enter the store. No one needs 15-20 center aisle displays and 10 sample trays, and 150 item salad bars with processed foods. It is all in the name of convenience. If people would learn to cook their own food and not have everything prepared for them, we probably wouldn't be such a lazy and overweight country. But, then again it's not HT's fault for profiting off people's weaknesses. The smaller HT stores do seem more friendly to me though, but sadly there are not many left. I.E. Gaston Mall, Shelby, Mint Hill, Albemarle, Monroe, and Florence, SC.

[DigitalSky]

The HT store in Newton, NC looks old.. i'm surprised that one is still open.

[voyager12]

As a very frequent East Blvd HT shopper I can attest to the fact that the store is easy to navigate. All the employees are very friendly and the atmosphere is nice and small townish. Which would be fine if we were in a small town and not a city neighborhood. While the store is easy to traverse there just isn't enough space anymore to handle the volume it gets. We only have four UCheckout stations in the store. So even when't its not busy there is almost always a backup. Our Deli/Bakery section is tiny. Expanding into the photo space and the empty MM spot would relieve some of the pressure. Although I must say the East HT might as well be Morrocroft compared to the sardine size Plaza/Central HT Finally, if only the Dilworth store would stay open past 10pm ! I get late night munchies sometimes and 10:00 is way to early for an urban supermarket to close. I would even compromise to 11 althought I think 12 makes the most sense. I have talked to the manager and he said something about having to follow the shopping center hours. But I think the kebab place stays open past 10 and a few others. Perhaps I should start a petition or do my own picket line

[Batou]

On monday i picked up a few things at the new university city harris teeter, they really did go all out with this place(is that a freakin salad bar i just saw?)!

[Skyline49er]

On monday i picked up a few things at the new university city harris teeter, they really did go all out with this place(is that a freakin salad bar i just saw?)!

Yea, I noticed the salad bar too when I went in there. I also noticed the sushi place and the nice big comfortable couches to sit and read magazines. This HT is freakin awesome!!!

[monsoon]

Harris Teeter has decided to close the original Lake Norman HT at the old SouthLake shopping center in Cornelius. This is one of the old style HT's and still looks mostly like what a HT looked like 20 years ago. HT decided to close this store about 10 years ago when they opened the Pennisula HT but protests from people who didn't like the new upscale HTs were enough to convince them to keep it open.

[atlrvr]

Finally, if only the Dilworth store would stay open past 10pm ! I get late night munchies sometimes and 10:00 is way to early for an urban supermarket to close. I would even compromise to 11 althought I think 12 makes the most sense. I have talked to the manager and he said something about having to follow the shopping center hours. But I think the kebab place stays open past 10 and a few others. Perhaps I should start a petition or do my own picket line

Don't rely on this as the positive truth, but I believe the HT agreed to limit its hours from 7-10 to gain support from the neighborhood for the necessary rezoning. So I really think this was caused by DCDA, as I'm positive the store could do business easily until 11pm (I saw lots of people being turned away every night that I was there around closing time). Unfortunately, the only way for HT to extend its hours is to apply for a SPA (site plan amendment). DCDA would likely fight it, and my guess is without DCDA support, city council would deny the SPA. Soooooooo....my suggestion is to start a grassroots campaign among DCDA board members to proactively propose the SPA, and hopefully you can find enough support before the buzz-kill members get wind. or

[DigitalSky]

Harris Teeter has decided to close the original Lake Norman HT at the old SouthLake shopping center in Cornelius. This is one of the old style HT's and still looks mostly like what a HT looked like 20 years ago. HT decided to close this store about 10 years ago when they opened the Pennisula HT but protests from people who didn't like the new upscale HTs were enough to convince them to keep it open.

Yeah HT is either remodeling the old type stores or closing them, and in some cases "relocating" as they are here where they'll close the Torrence Chapel store and open the Davidson store.

[voyager12]

Thank you for the info Atlvr. That makes a lot of sense. I have been to a few DCDA meetings and although most people in Dilworth shop at Kenilworth Commons, its not beloved by many. I may have an uphill battle!

[monsoon]

Yeah HT is either remodeling the old type stores or closing them, and in some cases "relocating" as they are here where they'll close the Torrence Chapel store and open the Davidson store.

This store reminded me of the Harris Teeter that used to be in Derita.

[monsoon]

Looks like yet another HT is coming to the Lake Norman area at a new strip mall at the intersection of River Highway (aka Hwy 150) and Perth Rd. This is a rather interesting development as HT had a fairly new upscale store where River Hwy crosses I-77 (exit 36) but the subsequent SuperWalmart and the SuperTarget beat the pants off it and it closed. This new attempt is really not that far from there, but they may peel off some of the more upscale people that live on the lake who don't want to mess with the hassles of those two Super stores. They are really a pain to get into due the excessive traffic. It will be interesting to see the format this place takes because the SuperTarget for the most part, is about as upscale as HT but its prices are lower, and its the closest to this new HT. SuperWalmart and the Aldi store down from it, on the other hand, scrape the bottom of the barrel in customer demographics and those places show it.

[DigitalSky]

HT is moving on up the Eastern Seaboard, into Deleware http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dl...S/61004008/1003

In other news, their Florida footprint is down to one store http://plainvanillashell.com/article.asp?ID=6877

[mediamongrel]

HT is moving on up the Eastern Seaboard, into Deleware http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dl...S/61004008/1003

In other news, their Florida footprint is down to one store http://plainvanillashell.com/article.asp?ID=6877

Thanks for these great articles. I like some of the excerpts out of the first article that say HT has locally grown produce, even though 90% of the stuff I buy at HT or any grocery store is from California!?! If it was really local the prices wouldn't be so high. Also they talk about them having six state territory, when in reality they only have one store in Georgia (St. Simons Island), one in Florida (Amelia Island), and only 3 in Tennessee. So MOST of their profit is only in 3 states, and since 43 of their stores are in Mecklenburg County, it seems like they are really only growing in Charlotte. The stores in DC are doing okay but there is so much more competition in DC that you really can't say they are doing great there. It's just funny how the HT spokeswoman in the article makes the story seem better than it is. I know that HT is really disappointed that they didn't have success in Florida, because this happened a decade ago when they didn't have any success in the Atlanta market but they still made it look like there were no problems in Georgia up until the end. At least Winn-Dixie can fold all their stores and be honest about it. Like the article states, it doesn't reallly make sense to keep one HT store open in Florida and one in Georgia because the HT warehouses in Greensboro and Charlotte still have to pay for transit to these distant locations. After all those delivery costs I wonder if those 2 stores and even the Nashville stores show any profit after deducting transit time and costs to get the product there.

[DigitalSky]

The HT in Cotswold looks completely different I was stunned.

[Skyline49er]

Thought I would pass along some information here.

While driving to the Renaissance Festival on Poplar Tent Rd. I passed by a new shopping center that is being built. It was called Crossroads center or something like that and was to include a Harris Teeter. I also noticed alot of new development happening up there as well.

[monsoon]

This discussion is now archived. Please continue the Charlotte grocery store conversations in this thread.