Posted August 30, 200618 yr As a recent newcomer to downtown Cincinnati, this board has been immensely useful and informative. Since there are so many of you out there, I thought perhaps I'd pose a question for my fellow downtown residents: Where do you buy your groceries? I'm trying to do a bit of problem solving here. I live in Garfield Park and do not own (or have regular access to) a car. Although Findlay Market is great and not far, there are times when a Kroger or even a Meijer can come in handy. I don't own a car, so I'm relying exclusively on bus access. I've heard there are some options in KY in addition to the Cinti area. Where do you like to shop? Thanks in advance!
August 30, 200618 yr Not a downtowner, but the 17, 18 & 19 will take you up to Keller's IGA in Clifton.
August 30, 200618 yr It looks like Tank bus 23 would get you to the Kroger in Bellvue. Where/how do you shop now?
August 30, 200618 yr Not the Kroger on Vine Street in OTR??!? ;) "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 30, 200618 yr You can take the 1, 4, 11, 12x, or 69 from downtown to the Walnut Hills Kroger. Definitely not the best grocery store around - slightly better than Corryville, slightly worse than Bellevue...but if you want good produce, good meat, a killer cheese selection, a good bakery, a good wine selection, variety in things like mushrooms and apples, all the spices, all the brands, etc., you've really gotta go to Hyde Park - Biggs has better cheese and wine, Kroger has better produce (they run out of stuff less often) and fantastic meats, and Kroger has a liquor store...and then there's Fresh Market in Oakley, which is fantastic, but there's not all that much they do well that Findlay Market doesn't already do well...
August 30, 200618 yr I have also heard people taking the Glenway Ave Bus Route to the Western Hills Kroger (there are actually 2). The one that I would suggest and see buses running to very regularly is right on Glenway Ave (across from Western Hills Plaza). This is a brand new store and would have everything you could want out of it. Along with the Kroger there are a variety of other retailers right along this stretch (walkable) for you to make an afternoon of it. Sorry I don't have a route # :| I'll see what I can do.
August 30, 200618 yr Here's a list by route number: http://www.sorta.com/schedules.html ...by community: http://www.sorta.com/communities.html ...and by points of interest: http://www.sorta.com/poi.html
August 30, 200618 yr We have made it a point of getting to Findlay Mkt on Saturdays. You can do it on other days, but all the vendors are there, including the farmers on Saturday. It has changed our life, because it is a fixed time every week on our schedule and we see lots of the same shoppers and vendors, which is nice. After the market you need paper products, detergent etc.. and there are several small places downtown where you can pick that kind of stuff up, including CVS. We do have a car though and use it for our market shopping, even though it is only 5 blocks away. For our family we spend $100 weekly and fill 5-6 canvas bags easily from the market. We also go to IGA clifton and Coryville or Mitchell/Spring Grove Kroger, but this is all by car.
August 30, 200618 yr I still only use Findlay Market for special meal-type stuff - if I've got a special seafood meal planned, or want someone skilled to roll-cut a pork loin so I can stuff it, things like that. But I need to follow the Skinner method, make it a regular stop...
August 31, 200618 yr Thanks for all of the replies, everyone! I hadn't thought of the IGA in Clifton - that's a great idea. I've been using Findlay Market and a combination of stores downtown, like Walgreens and CVS. Thanks also for the tip on Tank #23; the only problem with it is that this only runs weekdays :( and during what appear to be heavy business commute times (7-8ish AM and 4-5-6ish PM). For any of you interested, Amazon.com, as you may already know, is offering more and more groceries (mainly in bulk) online, with free shipping if you are patient. :) They also are offering stuff from the Gristedes NY supermarket, which (amazingly) will ship milk and frozen products in dry ice. Food for thought, though the shipping is still a bit pricey. ;-) Sorry for the lame pun.
August 31, 200618 yr Ditto on Findlay Market. Make it a regular Saturday or Sunday thing. Also, Avril's on the south side of Court Street between Vine and Walnut - some think it's the best butcher in town. plus they have seafood now and once in a blue moon, a bushel of just-picked fresh veggies. They'r open six days a week. The open-air green-grocer who operates Tuesday through Friday at Court and Vine is a good standby. Cianciolo on Main between Seventh and Eighth has lots of staples. Silverglades at Eighth and Sycamore has a wide variety of take-home meals. Best newcomer to downtown: City Cellars, just north of Ninth on Race - a really great wine and beer shop. Check out their wine tastings every Tuesday at 5:30p. It's nice not to have to go to Kroger anymore. Nothing against Kroger; we've just found better alternatives.
August 31, 200618 yr Sunshine Deli on the corner of Elm and Garfield actually has more than you would think. Nothing too fancy, but a good place to pick up staples and snacks.
August 31, 200618 yr It will be interesting to see if the Probasco Market on Fountain Square will add anything to the mix.
August 31, 200618 yr I ordered a number of items from Amazon Grocery. The coupon code GROCERY2 at checkout gets $10 off a $49 order. (Code ends today, though.) It seems to be popular, a number of items are on backorder. I had such high hopes for Peapod and NetGrocer. So, I'll be supplementing Findlay Market with Amazon shipments as much as possible.
August 31, 200618 yr I usually shop at the Corryville Kroger, which you could access on the #78 or #24 bus. But since the 17-18-19 run more frequently, that might be the better option for going to IGA. I occasionally use the Vine St. Kroger in OTR, but in addition to having to carry your groceries 6+ blocks, you have to run a gauntlet of (mostly harmless) bums and thugs for two of those blocks. But once inside, you should be able to find most of the basics, and it's quite a bit cheaper than IGA.
January 30, 200718 yr I am interested in attracting a grocery store into down town Cincinnati. Does anyone have advice on how to build a proposal to submit to the various retail chains? What information would be needed (demographics, location availability, infrastructure, income levels, etc)? Karsten
January 30, 200718 yr Go to http://www.uc.edu/cdc/ Click on Niehoff Urban Studio on the left hand side. Then you will see Urban Food Projects appear below that. It has all kinds of research, urban grocery precedents, etc. Hope that helps some.
January 31, 200718 yr Right now, my husband and I go to Findlay Market roughly once a week. They seem to provide a lot of what we need, and it is my favorite place to buy food/groceries. However, I would love to see a specialty store such as Trader Joe's (my second favorite), Fresh Market, Whole Foods, or something similiar open downtown.
January 31, 200718 yr Another thought....someone from Downtown Cincinnati, Inc. (DCI) may have advice or may already have this information. Check out their website at www.downtowncincinnati.com. I believe they have a link for comments.
January 31, 200718 yr I would be more than willing to chip in any recourses from Comey Commercial and help in anyway we can. Did you have a space in mind because all of the work needs to be done on the front end and as long as you meet the requirements or can show trends that ultimately will meet their requirements, it can be done. So to answer your question, What information would be needed (demographics, location availability, infrastructure, income levels, etc) Yes. plus neighborhood population, special population, resident fit, employee population, business activity, transient population, employee fit, shopper fit, transient fit, competition, cannibalism, drop in features and trade area features.
February 19, 200718 yr Although Findlay Market, Sunshine Natural Foods, Ciancilos, Spatz's and a CVS Walgreens combination really do have everything you need, the suburban consumers want a grocery store downtown before they move in. [it is strange that they don't mind driving several miles to a grocery store in the suburbs but demand one downtown, but I digress] So how about this, an appeal to an upscale grocery chain to locate in the city on the grid. I was thinking Trader Joes, but I really don't care at all. So everyone go to this website and fill out this form or pick another grocer and lobby them. I don't care, just lobby. http://www.traderjoes.com/location_requests_form.aspx
February 19, 200718 yr Although Findlay Market, Sunshine Natural Foods, Ciancilos, Spatz's and a CVS Walgreens combination really do have everything you need, the suburban consumers want a grocery store downtown before they move in. [it is strange that they don't mind driving several miles to a grocery store in the suburbs but demand one downtown, but I digress] I agree with you. Findlay Market is fantastic (was there yesterday), and you can find everything you need at the other stores you've mention. I really don't understand the hang-up people have over the grocery store issue. When I stock up on canned goods or buy a lot of things in bulk, I drive to nearby grocery store, which is exactly what I did when I lived in the suburbs. That said, I would be thrilled if Trader Joe's opened a location downtown. I'm getting a list ready to drive there tonight, and it would be nice to not have to go to Kenwood. Behind Findlay Market, they are my 2nd favorite place to buy food. If Trader Joe's wouldn't work out, my next choice would be for Fresh Market. Ideally, though, that streetcar going to Findlay Market would be great. :)
February 19, 200718 yr Rock and Roll, I say our goal should be 25,000 requests. The future of Urban Ohio? organized lobbying. Lets start a 526 PAC or something.
February 20, 200718 yr I filled out the form...and this is what I included in the additional comments section: With the growing population in downtown Cincinnati I think a grocery store is sorely needed. Trader Joe's is one of my favorites and I would love to have one in my downtown neighborhood. I know...I don't live in downtown yet, but its ok to improvise a little...its for a good cause!
February 20, 200718 yr What about Whole Foods, or a small Kroger with gorumet, upscale options? OMG ... wait until you see Jungle Jim's. Nothing like it in the midwest. People drive 2 hours to go there, lol and they even do tours and are working on a monorail. There is one in Fairfield, but they are building a second location in Oakley. Of course there are other Whole Food grocers, but you must check out JJ's.
February 20, 200718 yr Findlay Market is fantastic (was there yesterday) I saw you and your husband there yesterday and sort of yelled "xumelanie" while I was eating and reading my paper but I don't think you guys heard me. I pretty much can buy almost anything at Findlay. There are a few things I have to go outside for but I do pretty well. The little store at 7th & Vine is also good for misc. like Nestle Chocolate Chips ... What I would like at Findlay is: 1. Fresh cut flowers on Sunday. Actually, the guy on Saturdays is fine but I want a real, full-time flower stand. 2. Wine! ( I do like City Cellars or Strauss downtown) 3. Some place to buy like 12-packs of Diet Coke ... 4. A culinary/kitchen supply store. A love the one in North Market in Columbus. I think they have two now. But sometimes you just need a new scrub brush, or cool wine glasses. And I hate the fact that I don't walk there from my apartment. I just don't feel comfortable. A trolley to get me there and back would be absolutely perfection.
February 20, 200718 yr Findlay Market is fantastic (was there yesterday) I saw you and your husband there yesterday and sort of yelled "xumelanie" while I was eating and reading my paper but I don't think you guys heard me. Bummer, I didn't hear you. :( Sorry about that. I am very impressed by what I can find at Findlay Market. It is more than I was expecting. And I hate the fact that I don't walk there from my apartment. I just don't feel comfortable. A trolley to get me there and back would be absolutely perfection. I definitely agree with this statement. I really hope the trolley comes soon. But there is another reason why I don't walk there - I end up buying a lot of stuff whenever I go! There's no way I could make the walk carrying everything. And when my husband goes with me (which is most of the time), that means we can buy even more! Hence, we definitely can't walk, and we barely make it back to the car. ;)
February 20, 200718 yr Problem with Fresh Market is that it is so amazingly expensive...maybe not as expensive as Wild Oats, but still, much more expensive than Kroger... I don't know about Trader Joe's...how are its prices?
February 20, 200718 yr Are there places to buy brooms, mops, bleach, small hardware & pet supplies in the downtown area ?
February 20, 200718 yr I don't know about Trader Joe's...how are its prices? Their prices are very good. Most of their products tend to be their own label, so it's cheaper. They also offer organics (scientists, I do realize why this is a bad term). ;)
February 20, 200718 yr Are there places to buy brooms, mops, bleach, small hardware & pet supplies in the downtown area ? Most of the time you can find that stuff at CVS or Walgreens. Not a huge selection and maybe a bit more expensive as your paying for the convience but in a pinch that's where I go.
February 20, 200718 yr Have any of you guys filled out the request form for Trader Joe's?? Quit blogging for a darn second, and take some action!
February 21, 200718 yr That does look cool, except for one thing...they are a small business trying to make it work in STL. I don't think they have any inclination to expand out of downtown STL anytime soon.
February 21, 200718 yr Why doesn't somebody contact the owners and talk about opening a joint venture in Cincy??
February 21, 200718 yr If I knew anything about starting a business and/or going into a joint-venture then I would jump all over it. But I don't...so if anyone else knows...GET ON IT!
February 21, 200718 yr That's why you should contact the owner's in St. Louis and have them help you and you can learn everything they did!!
February 21, 200718 yr I just did it...although I don't live downtown and have never been to Trader Joe's!
February 21, 200718 yr ^^One problem...I'm BROKE!!! I have no upfront money and/or time to put into an effort like this. I'm trying to graduate with no debt...thats a big enough task as is. I might give them a call and suggest some stuff.
February 21, 200718 yr I submitted my request. I don't know about Trader Joe's...how are its prices? As xumelanie said, the prices are good. Trader Joe's is owned by the same very rich German family that owns Aldi. Although the two carry two completely different product lines, many of their practices such as emphasis on store brand products and low prices are the same.
February 22, 200718 yr I sent one, but you know if you have any grocery stores outside of downtown on the streetcar line it suddenly isn't such a problem anymore.
February 22, 200718 yr I agree, trader joes is the perfect kind of store in an urban area. I sent the request for them to open a 2nd location close to the CBD.
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