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.

 

It would sure be nice to land a grocer downtown though....it would be another sign of its rebirth!

Land a grocer downtown, and put it on the streetcar line - double whammy!

 

It would certainly bring people downtown, especially a Trader Joe's.

It would certainly bring people downtown, especially a Trader Joe's.

 

oh for sure. TJ's is a store that people drive/commute for. Before there was one of the west side of Cleveland, people would drive 45-60 mins to get to the one on the east side because of their exclusive foods and wines. plus the prices are what's up.

It would certainly bring people downtown, especially a Trader Joe's.

 

oh for sure. TJ's is a store that people drive/commute for. Before there was one of the west side of Cleveland, people would drive 45-60 mins to get to the one on the east side because of their exclusive foods and wines. plus the prices are what's up.

 

Like I said earlier, make sure you check out Jungle Jim's in Fairfield (North Cincy).

Looking at all the development at Jungle Jim's, I think that guy ought to be developing the Banks.

Run the monorail across the river.... ?

When I went to Trader Joe's this past weekend, they were asking for zip codes.  Isn't this usually a sign that the company might be considering other locations, or at least they want to know where their customers come from?  Perhaps this would be a good time for a bunch of downtown residents to go to TJ's and buy something. 

 

TJ's also publishes a quarterly catalog called the "Fearless Flyer."  They automatically sent it to me when I lived in Pleasant Ridge.  When I moved, I stopped receiving it.  I submitted a request online to receive the flyer again through the mail (it's actually entertaining), and they sent me one.  Maybe if a bunch of people requested this as well they would consider?

 

Or maybe I'm rambling, and I'm not really sure how the system works.  ;)

How about a downtown grocer at 5th and Race?

 

This is an important piece of real estate. It's one of the only areas in the central core that has a decent amount of land for development. Given that, I'd like to see something iconic rise from that spot. Since the skywalk is already in place, I think a two level Whole Foods could work extremely well, topped by one or even twin 20-or-so story condominium and/or mixed use towers. I reference Whole Foods for the fact that they seem to have a larger, more varied offering than Trader Joe's. To be honest, I wasn't overly impressed with Trader Joe's the first time I visited; much prefer Whole Foods. In addition, several cities have Whole Foods stores in locations in or near downtown, so I would think the company would be open to the concept of a downtown location in Cincinnati, especially with a pre-existing connection to other retail downtown. The condo market downtown is thriving, so the large scale addition of urban housing in the urban core is more than justified.

The developers for the ongoing project at 5th and Race have been vague thus far for what they will do with the lower levels of the 22 story condo tower they are proposing.  They briefly mentioned a sushi bar and some other unique offerings for downtown, but nothing was presented as concrete.

 

I think that this would be a good location downtown for a grocery store (good residential base, sits along proposed streetcar route, large enough area).  I think that you could get both a two level grocery store with some of the other unique items that Eagle Realty suggessted.  For more information on that site (5th and Race) and what is going on; check out this thread:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=344.0

Have you thought about starting a food co-op? 

 

I have been complaining that none of the grocers seem to be willing to come downtown for too long.  We get the majority of our food at Findlay market but still go out to the burbs to get the things you can't get there.  Now's the time to stop complaining/waiting and start acting on our own.

 

I am ready to move on starting a co-op.  I would like to start a group to investigate the feasibility.  I will bring the topic up at the August Downtown Residents meeting.  If you are also willing to act and not wait for someone else to make the decision, let me know.

 

The co-op option creates a business case where one may not exist for the grocers we've submitted new store requests to.  The idea deserves to be studied earnestly.

Hey Kroger...this is a nice effort out in L.A. and all, but you think you could throw Cincinnati a freakin' bone!?!?  Your stores in Atlanta are much nicer looking than the crap you build here...you're building urban grocery stores elsewhere, but you can't help out your hometown one iota.  Seeing as how us Cincinnatians essentially helped Kroger in defeating/fending off Wal-Mart's attack against your home market...I think you owe us some gratitude.

 

Ralphs to Open First Supermarket in Downtown Los Angeles in More Than 50 Years

Ralphs to present more than $700,000 in donations to downtown schools and community organizations as part of grand opening

July 19, 2007 | CNN MONEY

 

LOS ANGELES - Ralphs Grocery Company announces the opening of downtown Los Angeles' first modern, full-service supermarket on Friday, July 20. The store, featuring Ralphs' popular upscale Fresh Fare design, is located at 645 West 9th Street, between Flower and Olive streets.

 

The store will open to customers at 11 a.m., July 20, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony with downtown Los Angeles residents, community leaders and business leaders. As part of its grand opening festivities, the new downtown Los Angeles store will announce more than $700,000 in donations to several local organizations and schools. The largest grant of $500,000 will go to the Million Trees L.A. Foundation to fund the planting of trees throughout the City of Los Angeles. A $100,000 grant to the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank will also be announced during the store's grand opening celebration.

 

The opening of the new 50,000 square-foot Downtown Ralphs Fresh Fare marks the successful conclusion of a private-public partnership between Ralphs Grocery Company, developer CIM Group and the City of Los Angeles to provide state-of-the-art supermarket service to downtown Los Angeles. The new Ralphs represents an important milestone in the revitalization of downtown Los Angeles, which has been without a full-service supermarket for more than 50 years.

 

The opening also marks Ralphs return to downtown Los Angeles. Ralphs was founded in 1873 with a single store at Sixth and Spring Streets, just blocks from the new store. It's last downtown store, located at 7th and Figueroa, closed in 1950.

 

"Ralphs is pleased to be the first full-service supermarket to serve the residents of downtown Los Angeles and we are proud to be a part of the ongoing redevelopment of downtown Los Angeles," said Dave Hirz, president of Ralphs Supermarkets. "We hope the opening of our new downtown supermarket will provide an impetus for further residential and business development in the area."

 

The Downtown Ralphs Fresh Fare is a one-of-kind store offering expanded grocery, liquor and produce/floral departments, along with a full complement of specialty service departments.

 

"This store is designed to be a one-stop shopping experience," Hirz said. "We believe it has everything a shopper could possibly want in a supermarket."

 

Customers visiting the new Downtown Ralphs Fresh Fare will enjoy an exciting assortment of very special offerings. These include an abundance of fresh and organic produce, a fully staffed meat department featuring the highest quality meats and fresh seafood, a bakery overflowing with aromas of freshly baked breads and gourmet desserts, and a wine cellar featuring a large selection premium wines, spirits and champagnes.

 

As an added feature for customers on the go, or for those who simply want a break, the new store offers fresh sushi, a salad bar, a soup bar, and an extensive selection of ready-to-eat and heat-and-serve items. The state-of-the-art store also features an enhanced service delicatessen where shoppers will find an array of delicious entrees and side dishes that are prepared fresh daily and ready for takeout.

 

For customers planning a special event, the new Fresh Fare store also offers a catering service that can arrange everything from floral decorations to deli and seafood platters to custom decorated cakes.

 

The store also features a full-service Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf mini-cafe offering a full selection of freshly brewed traditional, dark and flavored coffees, whole leaf teas and Dutch hot chocolates.

 

Customers will also enjoy the convenience of the store's full-service pharmacy and in-store dry cleaning service.

 

The new Downtown Ralphs Fresh Fare will employ more than 180 full-time and part-time associates. About 100 staff members have been newly hired from the downtown community.

 

Ralphs shoppers are sure to enjoy Store Director Art Postajian, who has been with Ralphs for more than 30 years. Art most recently managed a Ralphs in Malibu. His new team of service minded associates are ready to meet all of the needs of downtown residents.

 

"I'm excited about the opportunity I've been given to open the first Ralphs in downtown Los Angeles," Postajian said. "We're excited and we're ready. We've been working very hard to get the store ready for our customers, and we're eager to serve their needs. We are committed to providing the downtown Los Angeles area with the finest products and services available."

 

Ralphs was founded in 1873 and currently operates 2643 supermarkets in California, from its headquarters in Los Angeles. The company is a division of The Kroger Co., , one of the nation's largest food retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information about Ralphs, please visit http://www.ralphs.com.

It seems that the topic of grocery stores has come up quite a bit recently.  Someone mentioned to me the idea of forgetting about Kroger's, and try to get a smaller version of biggs or Meijer to open downtown (I'm still hoping for a Trader Joe's).  The great part of the plan is placing the grocery store near the Kroger headquarters, right in view of the CEO's office.  :)

^Tell it, sister!

 

The absence of supermarkets in the innercity is such a potent quantity in the sprawl equation. The ultimate irony (from what I observed in Detroit at least) is that many employees in suburban supermarkets are commuting from the innercity (no small feat in Detroit).

 

The simple solution to this, of course, is to bypass supermarkets altogether and create a demand for traditional corner markets.

The great part of the plan is placing the grocery store near the Kroger headquarters, right in view of the CEO's office. 

 

I will be able to die a happy man when I see this!    That is genius!!!!

I remember Kroger wanting to build one on Central Parkway right near their offices. They couldn't buy the real estate. If somebody else can, maybe they can sell it to Kroger. They amintain the store in Vine is a continual loss ut tehy keep it open anyway. I guess the downtowners wanting a Kroger want a special Kroger ?

BTW I hate Kroger. They keep discontinuing to carry name brand products and then replace them with their own.

I'd say, go with traditional corner markets.

I think that is a great idea with the corner markets, but a large urban grocer would probably attract more new residents.

The beauty of a grocery store is being able to buy fresh fish, canned goods, cat litter, paper towels, wine, fresh produce, a birthday card and frozen pizzas, all in one place, with a variety of brands and low prices.  The number of corner markets that would be required to reproduce that selection and convenience would be astonishing, and I wouldn't want to have to go five places to do what I could do at one place.  I guess that makes me a bad urbanist, but I don't really care - I want to get my groceries and get the hell home, where I can start cooking and drinking with my wife and friends...

 

^ Yeah pretty much. I don't mind the gap filler corner store, but when it comes to buying the greater portion of groceries I think most people want the highest quality at the lowest price with the most convenience (read Trader Joe's and Bigg's at least in this market). For instance, Fresh Market is just too expensive to shop there regularly.

The beauty of a grocery store is being able to buy fresh fish, canned goods, cat litter, paper towels, wine, fresh produce, a birthday card and frozen pizzas, all in one place, with a variety of brands and low prices.  The number of corner markets that would be required to reproduce that selection and convenience would be astonishing, and I wouldn't want to have to go five places to do what I could do at one place.  I guess that makes me a bad urbanist, but I don't really care - I want to get my groceries and get the hell home, where I can start cooking and drinking with my wife and friends...

 

You would be able to do this at a decent corner grocery, but we've lost the choice war to the supermarkets. 

 

To make corner markets viable, you need shoppers accustomed to planning shopping around life and not vice versa. It's a tough switch. It starts with breaking oneself of the stock-up mentality.

 

We had good markets within easy walking distance in Hamtramck and were able to do almost all of our shopping in three bagful increments. Heaven!

 

The only items we had a hard time keeping up on were baby items (price gouging galore). This shouldn't present a problem for the targeted demographic.

actually, I've been able to do the same myself - we lived on Ludlow on Clifton, and had an IGA a few blocks down the street...that was fantastic...not the same selection as the Kroger at the bottom of the hill, but more than enough for most any meal...i'd stop at the wine store on the way home, and life was good.  But that's a full-sized grocery store, albeit a smallish one...so if that's the size of store you mean, I'm all up in dat...

If keller's iga had the capital, it would be great if they opened a second store.

within one mile of 8th and main there is a pop of 19k with a median income of 34k household. 

within one mile of Ludlow and clifton pop 19k, income 38k.

 

that is census 2000 data, I would venture a guess that the income of the 8th and main radius is higher now.

I think income alone is a misleading statistic. I would also seek to measure the age and mobility of the population. An older, more kitchen-savvy population without easy access to an automobile will spend more at a market than a younger, mobile, carry-out conditioned population.

 

Median household in Hamtramck, MI is $22K, but corner markets do well due to the other aforementioned factors. In fact, they kick the ass of the supermarkets. The big Farmer Jack struggled for years and closed. A local mini-chain moved in and reopened at half the size.

 

We shopped almost exclusively at a 5000 sq ft Polish grocery and small Muslim fruit market. The quality was high and the prices were low and times were good.

 

I've lived with a half mile of Keller's for nearly 7 years and after the first couple years I couldn't bring myself to pay the outrageous prices for what is often lesser quality food. Off to Bigg's in PRidge or Hyde Park or Trader Joe's in Kenwood. I know. . . I know . . . I am a bad urbanist . . . but I always felt ripped off at Kellers.

driving to trader joes is 21 miles round trip, which is about $10 of wear and tear on your car and gas, is the price difference really that great? 

 

what is lesser quality? if it is meats or produce, findlay market is the closest choice in your location. 

It is a combination of a few specific items, especially prepared foods and breakfast foods which trump any of the closer options. I acknowledge the irrationality of my choice, but nonetheless Keller's does nothing for me.

I used to complain about the produce at that IGA - until I moved to Walnut Hills...my Kroger blows ass...

 

driving to trader joes is 21 miles round trip, which is about $10 of wear and tear on your car and gas, is the price difference really that great? 

 

Probably.  I haven't been to Keller's IGA, but the prices at Trader Joe's can be a lot cheaper than other grocery stores, especially for cereal and snack food.  Plus, I usually "stock up" when I go (buy 2-3 boxes of cereal, few bags of frozen fruit, extra pizza dough to freeze, etc.)  I do save more than $10 on stuff when I go there, and I usually combine my trip and go to other stores as well. 

A grocery store that is close to downtown (I dont really consider the Bellevue, KY Kroger close) and isnt in a dangerous area (OTR) is something the city desperately needs.

^From what I know about supermarket developers and from what I've read about OTR around here, I don't know how many supermarket developers would consider OTR a safe area.

part one crimes down 34% this year in OTR

^From what I know about supermarket developers and from what I've read about OTR around here, I don't know how many supermarket developers would consider OTR a safe area.

That is why it is significant that Kroger maintains a store there.

OT rant:

When a canned food manufacturer mimics the label of a leading brand for their brand, they are being deceptive but one need not buy from that manufacturer.. When the grocery does it, you are still supporting them even when you don't buy the product. Kroger is horrible at this deceptive tactic. It is rude and disrespectful to the customer.

yeesh do I like these guys or not ?

I think a trader Joes r Whole Foods would be perfect on Central Parkway. Would attract the OTR and CBD crowds.  I would also be on the path of future Light rail.  I find it hard to believe Kroger could acquireland on Central parkway to build a store.  How about one of the several surface lots there.

I find it hard to believe Kroger could acquireland on Central parkway to build a store.  How about one of the several surface lots there.

 

Not sure I understand what you're saying there, but if you're saying Kroger should acquire land on Central Parkway and build a new store there, I suspect that's highly unlikely, given that they already have a store three blocks from Central Parkway...

 

River.

 

Quimbob posted this: "I remember Kroger wanting to build one on Central Parkway right near their offices. They couldn't buy the real estate."

 

I simply found this hard to believe that they couldn't fuind the realestate. It seems Central Parkway has way too many vacant lots for ealestate to be scarce.  As for my hope for a Cdentral Parkway grocer, I just think it would be a pefect location. The key will be tohave a grocery on the streetcar lineso people can get ther w/o a car i.e. they can just hop on the streetcar if they live a few blocks away.   

^ I heard that Kroger wanted to tear down a historic building to make it into a parking lot.  They were told no, and they decided not to build a store.  I know there's more to it than that, though.

^Sounds like the standard "darn those anti-development preservationists" developer line. It's never, ever this cut and dried. There's more to the story, I'm sure.

 

This illustrates a classic problem with developing supermarkets in urban settings. There's never "enough" parking to satisfy the developer and/or the zoning ordinance parking table. Of course, the formulas (almost) always overlook the pedestrian shopper.

 

I look at the parking lot at the Victorian Village Giant Eagle strip and try to think when I've ever seen the lot parked to capacity (Goodale Park or Short North events excepted). In fact, I can't imagine the property manager NOT receiving a call a day from condo developers itching to put up a line of townhouses along Neil there.

 

I say bring 'em on.

^Sounds like the standard "darn those anti-development preservationists" developer line. It's never, ever this cut and dried. There's more to the story, I'm sure.

 

I definitely think there is more than that.  There was also a change in CEOs as well.  Kroger may have  been just looking for an excuse.

This illustrates a classic problem with developing supermarkets in urban settings. There's never "enough" parking to satisfy the developer and/or the zoning ordinance parking table. Of course, the formulas (almost) always overlook the pedestrian shopper.

 

Jeez, didn't the city build them a whole parking garage and some overpriced condos?  I think you could have eliminated the condos and built to the property line with a ground level store and garage parking above, which would have been a better use of city money in my opinion (as well as making the garage useful more than 8 hours a day).  I would have gladly given an extra floor of garage height for additional parking in trade for a grocery store.

 

The problem, as been mentioned before, is that they don't do urban stores.  Back in college one of my studios was an adaptive reuse of the Emery/OMI building (when UC still used it).  We talked to some folks at Kroger about integrating parking on their lot but they wanted a suburban style store set to the north with at least half of the site being surface parking along Central Parkway.  Nothing has changed, just look at the newer store in Mt. Washington, blank walls along the streets with a suburban entrance to the side facing a surface lot.

^Correct.  I remember the Kroger store issue, and at that time, they said they needed so many square foot of flat land for their standard store.  They wanted to build directly north of their headquarters, and for the size they wanted, they said they would have to demolish the Hale Justis building, which still hadn't been rehabbed, and remove part of Jackson Street.  The Historic Conservation Board said no to the demolition.

 

A few years later, Hale-Justis was rehabbed into condos, and then more recently, the parking garage and Gateway I Condos were built at that site.  If they insist on a suburban store layout, then it aint happening downtown.

Jeez, didn't the city build them a whole parking garage and some overpriced condos?  I think you could have eliminated the condos and built to the property line with a ground level store and garage parking above, which would have been a better use of city money in my opinion (as well as making the garage useful more than 8 hours a day).  I would have gladly given an extra floor of garage height for additional parking in trade for a grocery store.

I thought that was a completely obvious idea but the big boys seemed to not even consider it.

Actually Kroger did an urban store in Richmond, VA right near the Virginia Commonwealth Uni. campus. It is kind of a cross between the Queen City Centre, Walnut Hills, with a little Mt. Washington Kroger. Anyway it has a suburban sized parking lot. It is in what appears to have been a warehouse district so that may explain the relatively large size and footprint shape. It's location is relatively speaking more West End than OTR though.

Jeez, didn't the city build them a whole parking garage and some overpriced condos?  I think you could have eliminated the condos and built to the property line with a ground level store and garage parking above, which would have been a better use of city money in my opinion (as well as making the garage useful more than 8 hours a day).  I would have gladly given an extra floor of garage height for additional parking in trade for a grocery store.

I thought that was a completely obvious idea but the big boys seemed to not even consider it.

 

The only thing more humorless and unimaginative than a banker is a grocer.

I guess they wouldn't be interested in a garage. Even suburban malls have garages.

Shopping for a downtown grocery

 

Ah, a grocery store downtown...

 

That's a dream many downtown residents - including myself - have been pining for for quite some time. It may still be a dream, but at least there is a group of some Cincinnati movers and shakers actually working on just such a project.

 

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory's "downtown grocery store task force" met for the first time Friday, beginning a process that just might turn into a place to shop for groceries.

 

Holly Childs, who started this summer as Cincinnati's economic development director, sits on that task force - and she knows a thing or two about attracting the likes of retail stores to an urban core. Before coming here, she was economic developer chief in Phoenix, where city tax revenues are driven by a sales tax.

 

"I think there is an opportunity for two or three 10,000 square-foot or 15,000 square-foot stores, not one 25,000 square-foot store" downtown, she said. "Everybody who is doing condos downtown wants a grocery store, of course."

 

She said there are several places downtown that are being touted as possible locations for such a store, the old Broadway Commons site among them. "We have spots all over town," she said. Members of Mallory's Young Professionals Kitchen Cabinet are also working on the task force, suggesting grocery chains such as Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Kroger and Bigg's.

 

Chipotle lovers and downtown dwellers: good news. Childs said the super-yummy Mexican fast food eatery with burritos as big as footballs has been eyeing and re-eyeing a location on Fountain Square. She believes a deal is near. Other city economic development employees said more deals are in the works to finish out all the shops on the square.

 

And in the dog-bites-man category - the huge deer population is no big secret for anyone living in this area. So, cars hitting deer are not uncommon and a big problem for city workers who have to go clean the carcasses off of city roadways. Cincinnati Public Services Director Andrew Glenn Jr. said that there were 274 instances of that in October in the city.

 

A dead animal collection worker driving his city truck hit a large buck on Election Day evening along River Road in Riverside. He had to call police to come and shoot the buck, according to an aide in Councilman Chris Monzel's office, who saw the accident.

 

Joe Wessels covers Cincinnati and Hamilton County politics for The Post. You can reach at (513) 352-2703 or by e-mail at [email protected].

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071117/EDIT01/711170350/1003/EDIT

Downtown grocery in works

 

By Joe Wessels

Post contributor

 

FIRST OF ITS SIZE

The grocery store would join several smaller, convenience-type stores downtown, but would be the first large grocery.

 

 

Downtown Cincinnati residents who have clamored for a grocery store in their neighborhood may finally be getting their wish.

 

Len Bleh, owner of Avril Bleh Meat Market on East Court Street, said he plans to open a 1,300 square-foot grocery store next to his butcher shop by March. In the store he plans to sell dairy products, eggs, produce, bread, dry goods and other grocery items, plus have a deli counter with room for people to sit down and eat.

 

Meat will still be on sale next door at the butcher shop.

 

"With convenience stores you go in and pay a high price," Bleh said. "Here, we are not going to do that."

 

To keep prices low, he said he has already begun discussions with local suppliers like United Dairy Farmers and Oakley-based ice creamery Aglamesis Bros. to supply the store.

 

The store will have a three-door cooler and a three-door freezer for items that need to be refrigerated.

 

Steve Leeper, president and CEO of the Center City Development Corp., or 3CDC, said the announcement of the grocery store is exactly what downtown residents have been seeking for several years now. 3CDC officials have been working since 2004 to revitalize the downtown and Over-the-Rhine, including bringing more businesses and residents to the area.

 

"I think as you got more people downtown, it was bound to happen," Bleh said of the grocery.

 

Bleh said he was also encouraged to launch the store by the throngs of people this and past summers who patronized the butcher shop's sidewalk barbeque grille that served brats, metts, hamburgers, snacks and drinks.

 

Crowds tapered off as the weather got cold, Bleh believes, because, there was no place for them to eat. He said he averaged selling 120 cans of pop from the stand, which he estimated was about how many customers he served each day.

 

"We do a booming lunch business," he said. "But people just want a place to sit down."

 

Bleh's store will be across the street from the headquarters of the Kroger Co., the nation's largest traditional grocery store chain. Kroger has a store just north of the central downtown business district in the 1400 block of Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine that it spent over $1 million remodeling in 2003.

 

But many downtown residents consider the Over-the-Rhine Kroger too dangerous to shop there and Kroger officials have said there is not a critical mass of new residents yet in the downtown area to justify opening another store.

 

Bleh's grocery store would join several smaller, convenience-type stores downtown including Cianciolo's Market on Main Street, but would be the first large grocery, he said.

 

Bleh said the plans to build the store have been 2½ years in the making, and he plans to sign a lease Thursday when he sits down with the building's owner, downtown and Over-the-Rhine developers Urban Sites.

 

"If the prices are good on the groceries, we'll do a good business," Bleh said.

Excellent!  This is the type of store that is needed.  Plus, Avril-Bleh is a great place to buy meats, so I'd imagine that any grocery store they open will be great.

Simply fantastic news!

Agree with xumelanie.  And this sounds fantastic!

That's great news, but a 1,300 square-foot grocery store is pretty small!