March 25, 201213 yr Published on March 21, 2012 5:15 pm <b>Hills Market Wants Your Input on Downtown Grocery Items</b> By: Walker <i>The Hills Market is working toward opening their new Downtown location (previously announced here) and is seeking customer input to help them select the right product mix for the new store. The marketing and management teams at Hills has put together a simple online survey that allows you name specific products and brands that you’d like to see inside the store.</i> <a href="http://ow.ly/9NDy5">CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY</a>
August 13, 201212 yr Construction work is still going on to renovate the former auto body shop at 95 N. Grant Avenue into the Hills Market Downtown Grocery Store. Construction work is also going on immediately next door at the former MadLab Theater building at 105 N. Grant Avenue. The 105 building is being renovated by The Columbus Food League as The Grass Skirt Tiki Room. And the Grass Skirt building is getting pretty close to opening. From the Columbus Underground thread 'The Grass Skirt Tiki Bar', Liz Lessner of the Columbus Food League announced they taking online employment applications for the Grass Skirt Tiki Room. From that application and the CU thread is a logo for The Grass Skirt Tiki Room. Also from the Columbus Underground thread 'The Grass Skirt Tiki Bar', and 'Construction Roundup - July 2012' is a photo the exterior of 105 N. Grant Avenue from June 2012 and July 2012. Both photos show the future Hills Market Downtown Grocery Store at 95 N. Grant Avenue to the left (south) of the Grass Skirt building. Interior photos of the Grass Skirt renovations are also posted in the Columbus Underground thread 'The Grass Skirt Tiki Bar'.
August 15, 201212 yr I'm kinda surprised not to see another residential building being proposed within walking distance what with the grocery store and a bonus themed bar next door. Even with the two new 5 story apartments coming down the line there surely is demand for more, especially considering Columbus' small downtown population of around 6,000 (Indianapolis got its first downtown supermarket pushing the 20,000 mark) and the fact that auite a few surrounding neighborhoods are already served by full-scale grocery stores, although the store is probably enough of a specialty store to woo some residents on a somewhat regular basis, kinda like how North Market serves a different niche than your usual grocery store. Even so, the deficit in the downtown population is significant in comparison. Mpls also had to wait til Downtown broke the 25,000 residents milestone before getting a dedicated downtown grocery store. Now would be the time for the Topiary Park "luxury" ten-story "towers" plans and more 5 story+ buildings within a few blocks of the store itself to be debuted. Maybe that spot where an existing structure is being demoed for "future development" on W Gay and Front would be perfect for a tall-ish residential tower with the grocery store being a straight shot down Gay...and BD Kroger just down Front and North Market just straight up the street and Giant Eagle just up and to the left, not to mention existing amenities on Gay St.
August 15, 201212 yr From the Columbus Underground thread 'The Hills Market Downtown'. An opening date for the Hills Market Downtown and the most recent construction photo for the project: Saw this in the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District newsletter: Hills Market Downtown Announces Opening Date The Hills Market has announced a target opening date for their downtown location of October 1.
August 15, 201212 yr I'm kinda surprised not to see another residential building being proposed within walking distance what with the grocery store and a bonus themed bar next door. Even with the two new 5 story apartments coming down the line there surely is demand for more, especially considering Columbus' small downtown population of around 6,000 (Indianapolis got its first downtown supermarket pushing the 20,000 mark) and the fact that auite a few surrounding neighborhoods are already served by full-scale grocery stores, although the store is probably enough of a specialty store to woo some residents on a somewhat regular basis, kinda like how North Market serves a different niche than your usual grocery store. Even so, the deficit in the downtown population is significant in comparison. Mpls also had to wait til Downtown broke the 25,000 residents milestone before getting a dedicated downtown grocery store. Now would be the time for the Topiary Park "luxury" ten-story "towers" plans and more 5 story+ buildings within a few blocks of the store itself to be debuted. Maybe that spot where an existing structure is being demoed for "future development" on W Gay and Front would be perfect for a tall-ish residential tower with the grocery store being a straight shot down Gay...and BD Kroger just down Front and North Market just straight up the street and Giant Eagle just up and to the left, not to mention existing amenities on Gay St. You might consider saving up some money to slowly get involved in the real estate business. Channeling your deep concerns about projects into positive energy toward your own projects could eventually become quite profitable. Just make sure to pay close attention to the numbers.
August 15, 201212 yr I'm kinda surprised not to see another residential building being proposed within walking distance what with the grocery store and a bonus themed bar next door. Even with the two new 5 story apartments coming down the line there surely is demand for more, especially considering Columbus' small downtown population of around 6,000 (Indianapolis got its first downtown supermarket pushing the 20,000 mark) and the fact that auite a few surrounding neighborhoods are already served by full-scale grocery stores, although the store is probably enough of a specialty store to woo some residents on a somewhat regular basis, kinda like how North Market serves a different niche than your usual grocery store. Even so, the deficit in the downtown population is significant in comparison. Mpls also had to wait til Downtown broke the 25,000 residents milestone before getting a dedicated downtown grocery store. Now would be the time for the Topiary Park "luxury" ten-story "towers" plans and more 5 story+ buildings within a few blocks of the store itself to be debuted. Maybe that spot where an existing structure is being demoed for "future development" on W Gay and Front would be perfect for a tall-ish residential tower with the grocery store being a straight shot down Gay...and BD Kroger just down Front and North Market just straight up the street and Giant Eagle just up and to the left, not to mention existing amenities on Gay St. The area directly west of the market is all a part of Neighborhood Launch, which will be building at least 4 (not 2) new residential buildings. The 2 5-story apartment buildings, a 5-story condo building and the next phase of Bishop's Walk. I have no doubt that more projects will come along in the next year or so in the area around the market, though despite your belief to the contrary, you still need developers to come forward to actually have projects happen. Also, you also have lot owners who don't want to sell or are waiting for prices to rise. And the Front Street building is not near the market and wouldn't be a selling point. Besides, the city owns that land and likely not going to put a residential project there. I could see an office tower of some kind go in there, hopefully with ground-floor retail of some kind. The last thing that area needs is another parking garage.
September 13, 201212 yr Recent Business First story featuring updates on the Hills Market Downtown Grocery Store at 95 N. Grant Avenue and the adjacent Grass Skirt Tiki Room at 105 N. Grant Avenue: Shakin’ down Grass Skirt Tiki Room Business First by Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Date: Friday, September 7, 2012, 3:52pm EDT Key amenities that will service developer Edwards Cos.’ downtown Columbus residential development should open in the next few months. Managers of restaurateur Elizabeth Lessner’s Columbus Food League this week started to train those who’ll staff the Grass Skirt Tiki Room on the finer points of serving drinks with an upcoming dress rehearsal planned. The restaurant, at 105 N. Grant Avenue, should open this month. (. . .) But heavier construction remains before the Hills Market next door to the restaurant can open. Hills Marketing Director Jill Moorhead said contractors have finished flooring and other interior work, and contractors on the roof were among 25 or so builders on the property Friday. ... The specialty grocer hopes to open its doors to condo owners at Edwards’ Neighborhood Launch and the rest of the community around Thanksgiving. READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2012/09/07/shakin-down-grass-skirt-tiki-room.html
September 13, 201212 yr Photo taken by MyUrbanhood twitter feed posted September 7. Fencing being added to the Grass Skirt Tiki Room exterior patio and roof work going on next door at the Hills Market Downtown Grocery Store.
September 24, 201212 yr Dual updates for what has become dual neighboring projects of the Hills Market Downtown Grocery Store at 95 N. Grant Avenue and the adjacent Grass Skirt Tiki Room at 105 N. Grant Avenue. First up is news about the Grass Skirt Tiki Room. And it is very happy news. :lol: :lol: From the Grass Skirt Tiki twitter feed: "We open 9/25, 6pm." Plus some more about the opening of the Grass Skirt Tiki Room from a couple of excellent Columbus Underground articles: CU: First Look: The Grass Skirt Tiki Room CU: The making of a tiki bar – behind the scenes at Grass Skirt Tiki Room
September 24, 201212 yr Next up is news about the neighboring Hills Market Downtown Grocery Store at 95 N. Grant Avenue. The news is from this article in last Sunday's Dispatch: Downtown Hills Market to open in December According to the Hills Market spokeperson in the article: "The roof is finished, the floors have been poured and the walls are all up, and they're painting the trim on the outside." Also according to the Hills Market spokeperson in the article: "The store will make home deliveries and offer curbside pickup for items ordered in advance." And also, "there will be indoor and outdoor seating".
January 14, 201312 yr The Hills Market Downtown Grocery Store is running a bit behind schedule. It didn't open in December, as was estimated back in September. They haven't announced an opening date yet. But judging by some recent photos of the renovated building's interior, they look like they're pretty close to the finish line. These three photos came from The Hills Market Downtown facebook page: This interior photo was taken by Walker at Columbus Underground two days ago:
January 16, 201312 yr More about the Hills Market Downtown Grocery Store from Columbus Underground. Still no official opening date announced. But the former auto repair shop looks more and more like an upscale market with each passing day. The many interior photos included with the below linked article are looking very promising: Hills Market Downtown Finishing Construction, Preparing to Begin Stocking Shelves By: Walker Evans, Columbus Underground Published on January 16, 2013 - 8:15 am It’s been over a year in the works, but the time has almost arrived. The Hills Market Downtown is finishing up with construction work and equipment installation and ready to soon begin stocking shelves and preparing employees for opening day. Hills Market Marketing Director Jill Moorhead is understandably reluctant to announce an official grand opening date as timetables are still a little loose, but it sounds like they have about two months of work left to be finished. We were given a tour of the space last week by Moorhead and Store Manager Matt Brown, who provided an overview of the layout of store departments and sections throughout the 12,000 square foot building. That includes a bakery, self-serve coffee bar, produce, floral, dairy, salad bar, canned and boxed goods, prepared foods, seafood and meat counters, sushi, beer, wine, deli and more. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/hills-market-downtown-finishing-construction-prepares-to-begin-stocking-shelves
January 18, 201312 yr From: http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/the-hills-market-downtown/page/4#post-482867 Getting closer to opening. An exterior sign just went up facing Grant Avenue. EDIT: And this too from Business First - Hills Market downtown gets signs up ahead of opening
July 15, 201311 yr MODERATOR NOTE: Reposting articles wiped out by the server crash Columbus Underground: First Look: The Hills Market Downtown Business First: Slideshow: Hills Market stocked for March 19 opening downtown
July 15, 201311 yr New Hills grocery fills vital link Downtown N. Grant Avenue store improves Columbus’ core as a residential community By Mary Vanac, The Columbus Dispatch Friday, March 15, 2013 The new Hills Market Downtown is expected to serve the growing number of people who are living in the heart of the city. Dan Riesenberger, better known as Dan the Baker, is glad to see it. He thinks he’ll sell more bread at the Hills Market Downtown than at the market’s original location in Worthington Hills. “It’s in such a good foot-traffic area,” Riesenberger said, with more than a thousand Columbus College of Art & Design students across the street and 100,000 Downtown workers just blocks away. A grand opening will be held on Tuesday for the 12,000-square-foot market at 95 N. Grant Avenue, on the northeast side of Downtown, but customers are filtering through the doors already. Downtown Columbus is ready for a grocery store, said Cleve Ricksecker, director of the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District, a group of Downtown business owners. Kroger operates a grocery store in the Brewery District, but shoppers have to venture out of Downtown proper to buy groceries. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2013/03/15/downtown-market.html
May 19, 201411 yr The Hills Market Downtown just had its one-year anniversary. Columbus Underground has more about this and some tweeks made to the downtown grocery store over the past year: CU: The Hills Market Downtown Celebrates First Year with Store Updates
July 20, 201410 yr Just popped in to say that The Hills Market is great. It's served a great niche audience composed of students at CCAD/CSCC hunting snacks, workers in nearby office building headed for lunch, the Saturday/Sunday morning coffee/brunch crowd, and the quick-fix convenience shopper that lives nearby or is passing through and in need of a quick item or two. Of course, it helps that it's halfway between work and home for me, making it a quick 2 minute drive, 5 minute bike ride, or 10 minute walk from either direction. Their salad bar has become a staple in my lunch rotation, and their bakery is a nice mix of in-store goodies and deliveries from around town (Dan the Baker, Destination Donuts, etc). Also, their locally roasted coffee selection is top notch. I stock the office coffee pot with random selections from Crimson Cup, Actual Brewing, Hemisphere, Backroom Roasters, Stauf's, Roaming Goat and several others that Hill's carries. They've certainly packed a lot of goodness into one tiny grocery store. ;)
July 9, 20159 yr (Cross-posted in the Atlas Building thread located in the Completed Projects section at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,28483.msg763489.html#msg763489) Micro Grocery Store Opening Downtown in The Atlas Building By Walker Evans, Columbus Underground July 9, 2015 - 10:47 am Downtown residents, workers and visitors will soon have another new grocery store option, when a small square foot convenience-style shop opens inside The Atlas building at 8 East Long Street. Ryan McGahan, National Marketing Director at Homestead America (the leasing management company at The Atlas) confirmed the news today. Full details on the new 2,500 square foot store will be made available next week, but it is expected to focus on a mix of fresh and convenience items. “Obviously this is great news,” said Marc Conte, Deputy Director at the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District. “We’ve been on a retail recruitment kick for several years now, and generally we got a lot of interest from bars and restaurants. So to see a non-bar-or-restaurant is wonderful. I hope this bodes well for the other retail spots vacant up and down High Street.” Located at the corner of High Street and Long Street, the new store is nearly equidistant — around a half mile, or a 10 minute walk — from both The North Market and The Hills Market Downtown, giving those on the north end of Downtown three different options for grocery shopping. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/micro-grocery-store-opening-downtown-in-the-atlas-building
February 25, 20196 yr Downtown is booming so when will grocery stores follow? Over 5,200 new housing units are proposed around downtown – whose population will hit 10,000 next year. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/02/25/downtown-is-booming-so-when-will-grocery-stores.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 25, 20196 yr They send you the link to Capital Crossroads SID for info, but their latest newsletter is from EOY 2017. Why did they stop doing their State of Downtown? I sent them an email a few months ago, but they never responded ? Interesting to see what grocers look for in the neighborhood when looking at locations. I wonder if Whole Foods was the option for Founders, and when Amazon bought them they backed out? I think I read somewhere they're done expanding for now; probably until Amazon figures out their own metrics. I'd have to think the old Neil Ave Giant Eagle shopping center is becoming much too valuable to be used as it is currently. It's a big enough spot that a large mixed-use building could house a grocery store. Also, there are the lots north of the Flats on Vine where Giant Eagle was looking a handful of years ago. I think these two spots will be best due to proximity to owner-occupied houses with money. East Franklinton is almost entirely renters. So is most of central and southern downtown. Also strange they don't at all mention the German Village Giant Eagle. It's a weird little store, but is better than the Neil Ave one was.
February 26, 20196 yr 35 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: Exactly. If you were looking for the absolute worst time to start a construction project, it would be right now. Also, there is a lot of activity going on outside of downtown and the Short North. I know we love to focus on those areas, and rightfully so given that this is mainly an urban development board, but development around the entire city is still important. Heck, there are four tower cranes (that I'm aware of) currently in use outside of downtown and the Short North. There is plenty of stuff in the pipeline and sure, it may not all get built (or at least not at the initially proposed scale....North Market Tower) but there is plenty of stuff to come this year. Encouraging....thanks for the perspective! 16 hours ago, aderwent said: They send you the link to Capital Crossroads SID for info, but their latest newsletter is from EOY 2017. Why did they stop doing their State of Downtown? I sent them an email a few months ago, but they never responded ? Interesting to see what grocers look for in the neighborhood when looking at locations. I wonder if Whole Foods was the option for Founders, and when Amazon bought them they backed out? I think I read somewhere they're done expanding for now; probably until Amazon figures out their own metrics. I'd have to think the old Neil Ave Giant Eagle shopping center is becoming much too valuable to be used as it is currently. It's a big enough spot that a large mixed-use building could house a grocery store. Also, there are the lots north of the Flats on Vine where Giant Eagle was looking a handful of years ago. I think these two spots will be best due to proximity to owner-occupied houses with money. East Franklinton is almost entirely renters. So is most of central and southern downtown. Also strange they don't at all mention the German Village Giant Eagle. It's a weird little store, but is better than the Neil Ave one was. The Neil Ave Giant Eagle is still being leased by Giant Eagle. They're basically holding the property hostage so that a competing grocer can't move in and disrupt their business at the 3rd Ave Market District location. I have no idea when their lease is up or if they won't renew, but if someone knows, please inform us!! They currently still operate the liquor store there. You can even use your Giant Eagle card for non-alcohol products in the space. I actually live right across the street from this shopping plaza, and I just DREAM of its mixed us develpment potential every day. Would be amazing to add some apartments over some retail that can continue to house the essential services that CVS, Great Clips, PNC, and the food options provide, especially if a new grocer moved in. It's such a great location and it's along the frequent bus line 8. It would add even more density to the neighborhood. I bet a lot of NIMBYs would explode over such a proposal, though. But man......a 90s style shopping plaza just seems so out of place here now.
February 26, 20196 yr 17 hours ago, aderwent said: They send you the link to Capital Crossroads SID for info, but their latest newsletter is from EOY 2017. Why did they stop doing their State of Downtown? I sent them an email a few months ago, but they never responded ? Interesting to see what grocers look for in the neighborhood when looking at locations. I wonder if Whole Foods was the option for Founders, and when Amazon bought them they backed out? I think I read somewhere they're done expanding for now; probably until Amazon figures out their own metrics. I'd have to think the old Neil Ave Giant Eagle shopping center is becoming much too valuable to be used as it is currently. It's a big enough spot that a large mixed-use building could house a grocery store. Also, there are the lots north of the Flats on Vine where Giant Eagle was looking a handful of years ago. I think these two spots will be best due to proximity to owner-occupied houses with money. East Franklinton is almost entirely renters. So is most of central and southern downtown. Also strange they don't at all mention the German Village Giant Eagle. It's a weird little store, but is better than the Neil Ave one was. All the way back in 2004, a developer had a proposal for a $120 million "market district" for the empty lots north of Vine in the Arena District. They had a letter of intent to build a Whole Foods store there, along with other retail and commercial buildings back to North Market. I can't remember the exact reason it didn't work out, but I think it was because Whole Foods decided there wasn't enough site access or nearby population, especially with the Neil Avenue Giant Eagle, the Short North Kroger and the Brewery District Kroger.
February 26, 20196 yr 1 hour ago, Zyrokai said: Encouraging....thanks for the perspective! The Neil Ave Giant Eagle is still being leased by Giant Eagle. They're basically holding the property hostage so that a competing grocer can't move in and disrupt their business at the 3rd Ave Market District location. I have no idea when their lease is up or if they won't renew, but if someone knows, please inform us!! They currently still operate the liquor store there. You can even use your Giant Eagle card for non-alcohol products in the space. I actually live right across the street from this shopping plaza, and I just DREAM of its mixed us develpment potential every day. Would be amazing to add some apartments over some retail that can continue to house the essential services that CVS, Great Clips, PNC, and the food options provide, especially if a new grocer moved in. It's such a great location and it's along the frequent bus line 8. It would add even more density to the neighborhood. I bet a lot of NIMBYs would explode over such a proposal, though. But man......a 90s style shopping plaza just seems so out of place here now. Before 1960, everything west of Neil and south of Buttles was a full neighborhood with dense, single family houses and rowhomes all dating back to the late 19th-very early 20th Century. It was all demolished in a single year, and was one of the largest mass demolitions the city ever did. It was part of the "slum clearance" initiative as, back then before 670, Goodale and that part of the city was considered a ghetto. The "urban renewal" people had zero vision, but we still see individual demolitions that use the same poor reasoning. Incidentally, the city had proposed demolishing everything west of High Street all the way to OSU at one time. Edited February 26, 20196 yr by jonoh81
February 26, 20196 yr 1 hour ago, Zyrokai said: I actually live right across the street from this shopping plaza, and I just DREAM of its mixed us develpment potential every day. Would be amazing to add some apartments over some retail that can continue to house the essential services that CVS, Great Clips, PNC, and the food options provide, especially if a new grocer moved in. It's such a great location and it's along the frequent bus line 8. It would add even more density to the neighborhood. I bet a lot of NIMBYs would explode over such a proposal, though. But man......a 90s style shopping plaza just seems so out of place here now. Thurber Village shopping center was constructed in the late 1950s or early 60s. It would be cool if it looked like this today. The shopping center is outside of the Victorian Village Commission to redevelopment might be easier.
June 11, 20196 yr Does anyone know if there is a plan to put a downtown grocery store/all purpose store (ie. Target) close to the new LC complexes or near the new development between Gay and Long? Just seems odd to have so much new residential living downtown that lacks walkable amenities like a supermarket. I have seen it done successfully done in other comparable cities, but I have heard nothing in regards to walkable downtown stores in Columbus. I know the Hills market is on Grant near Gay, but that is rather far if you are trying to have a walking lifestyle. Edited June 11, 20196 yr by capitalkid1991
June 11, 20196 yr 11 minutes ago, GCrites80s said: Population of families is still too small. Not only that, but how many downtown residents are actually living car-free? I can't imagine very many are. If you live downtown and you have a car, there are two Krogers and two Giant Eagles within a 10 minute drive. If you don't have a car, you can get to any one of those grocery stores by bus in about 20-30 minutes. It would obviously be nice if we could get a legit downtown grocery store, but that's just not going to happen until the metrics are there for one of the big chains to feel comfortable diving in.
June 11, 20196 yr I don't know what the population of downtown Indy is but there's a Kroger and a Whole Foods downtown. I don't know what the hold up is in Columbus. https://goo.gl/maps/NP7T9f3jW2syac8KA https://goo.gl/maps/5AvwuFEmPho5wmxZ9 Edited June 11, 20196 yr by Pablo
June 11, 20196 yr 7 minutes ago, Pablo said: I don't know what the population of downtown Indy is but there's a Kroger and a Whole Foods downtown. I don't know what the hold up is in Columbus. https://goo.gl/maps/NP7T9f3jW2syac8KA https://goo.gl/maps/5AvwuFEmPho5wmxZ9 I wonder what other grocery options are in close proximity to downtown Indy. As I said, there 3 or 4 pretty good options just outside of downtown Columbus for someone living downtown. I'm not sure how that compares to Indy. In terms of their downtown population, I have no idea what the number is, but based on my experience their downtown population seems to be a bit higher than Columbus. Indy's downtown area has seen a lot of development in the same way that the Short North has seen a lot of the development in Columbus. Indy doesn't really have a Short North type of area so most of the urban development has occurred in the downtown area.
June 11, 20196 yr Indianapolis defines Downtown as "Mile Square" and according to the 2010 census, Mile Square had a population of 17,589. Looking up the 2018 "State of Indy" report, the city estimates the number of downtown residents now sits at about 28,000. I have to say I was shocked seeing that number and I'm impressed. However, as stated above, Columbus has some incredibly strong core neighborhoods that pack in population and connectivity while Indy just doesn't have that. Indy has a strong downtown but its adjacent neighborhoods are still quite a mess. Edited June 11, 20196 yr by DevolsDance
June 12, 20196 yr If Millennial Tower would ever come to fruition -- one of their initial tenant ideas was a grocery.. Would love to see a whole foods pop in there (and hopefully get naming rights to the building) but all of that is purely speculative at this point. Heres to hoping
June 12, 20196 yr 8 minutes ago, NightNectar said: If Millennial Tower would ever come to fruition -- one of their initial tenant ideas was a grocery.. Would love to see a whole foods pop in there (and hopefully get naming rights to the building) but all of that is purely speculative at this point. Heres to hoping If there's one area of downtown that could handle a grocery store right now, it would be the River South District. I think the population density, especially if Millennial Tower gets built, would be enough to necessitate one. I would guess the River South District is probably the most densely populated area in downtown, with more residential units on the way.
June 12, 20196 yr 3 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: If there's one area of downtown that could handle a grocery store right now, it would be the River South District. I think the population density, especially if Millennial Tower gets built, would be enough to necessitate one. I would guess the River South District is probably the most densely populated area in downtown, with more residential units on the way. Not to mention Franklinton (Peninsula Area) just across the river and all of the development set to go online. It would be a hit for sure.
June 12, 20196 yr I think a grocery would be a great addition, even if it is just a "small market" concept that is becoming more popular. I think many people (but certainly not all) live in the immediate downtown because they enjoy a walking base lifestyle. Right now many can walk to restaurants, parks, jobs, and other places with relative ease. Having a store to walk to would be a big plus and I think would attract additional residents to the area.
June 13, 20196 yr 19 hours ago, capitalkid1991 said: I think a grocery would be a great addition, even if it is just a "small market" concept that is becoming more popular. I think many people (but certainly not all) live in the immediate downtown because they enjoy a walking base lifestyle. Right now many can walk to restaurants, parks, jobs, and other places with relative ease. Having a store to walk to would be a big plus and I think would attract additional residents to the area. When smaller stores have opened in the urban core (Oats & Barley, Hills) they've struggled with complaints of high prices and lack of selection and the challenging sales that follow. It ended up closing Oats & Barley and Hills survives but I don't think they're thriving (I could be wrong). Unfortunately, higher prices and limited selection is part and parcel of a smaller, urban store unless it's run by a major chain that can still leverage wholesale efficiencies. Maybe something like the Target on campus or a Trader Joe's could work but we still just flat out need more density and more residents to really attract that level of retail downtown. We're just not building enough units fast enough. It'll happen, but it might be another decade. I hope it doesn't take that long.
June 13, 20196 yr In the meantime, DT residents need to support all of the local B&M options and not default to Amazon. If Amazon usage gets too out of hand the B&Ms won't see any opportunity there.
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