Saturday, February 06, 2010

what to replace the closing Safeway with ?

Okay, the Safeway at 4th & Rhode Island Avenue NE is closing in March.

What next?

See this message from Ward 5 resident Debbie Smith:


There has been talk that the Safeway, located in the Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Plaza, closing on March 6, 2010. Several people in the community are considering other grocer options.

Currently, the strong interest has been, Wegman and Trader Joe's. We would like to hear your thoughts. Please email your responses to: dlsmith112@msn.com as we take this poll.


Here is a 2/7/2010 update from Debbie Smith:

Since this is our community we need to take a stand and let the decision makers know what we want as a community. If you have not had an opportunity, please take the time and vote. Results will be made available next Sunday and posted by the Moderator of the Brookland listserv. Thanks.

You need to sign into yahoo, but it's at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Brookland/surveys?id=12984788

The poll will close next Sunday and the results will be reported to the whole listserv automatically.

17 comments:

Sean Hennessey said...

Personally, i'd like to see people keep their jobs and just have an updated safeway.

but if we're looking at something else, my druthers is a Grand Mart. i go to the one in gaithersburg every so often ( near in-laws house), and their vegetable section is the best in the region. plus its crazy inexpensive.

I've never been to a Wegmans, but i hear it is a fantastic store.
trader joe's is great, and i shop at one in foggy bottom pretty often.

Anonymous said...

Trader Joes. hands down.

Rayful Edmond said...

Yeah, what replaces that Safeway is up to the community. That's how it works, see. The community is going to demand a Wegmans, and then the Wegmans corporation will spend millions to make the community happy. God Bless America.

n cap said...

rayful,
aren't you still in jail?
you've been locked up for a while so you probably don't know that, in a way, it is kind of how it works these days.
Communities often direct petitioning for certain stores to open up in there area. Part of the economic turnaround and capital investment in this city in the late 90's early 00's was result of that.

you will be happy to know that some of the lives you screwed up, are still screwed up. thanks rayful, you really did a number on this town.

ShawGuy said...

not to be too much of a debbie downer here, but i think what rayful was alluding to is pretty spot on. I would love, love, love to see a trader joes or wegmans in that spot, but i also think it's beyond ludicrous to think that either of these corporations would even consider this location. They are both good companies, and they usually make great neighbors, but we don't have the overall demographic & affluence combo they'd be looking for. Kudos to Debbie for taking the pulse of the neighborhood, and I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Anonymous said...

I would very much like to see Wegmans. I have heard that is is fantastic. We do have Whole Foods on P & 14th, but that is a long way from our end of Bloomingdale, and it is always so crowded. Maybe Wegmans could subcontract a corner of their store to Trader Joes, a specialized flower shop etc (as is Pike Market in Seattle). Re the above comment re our not being affluent enough - we need to think positive. Look what happened when Fresh Foods moved into 14th & P 10 years ago, and turned a slum area into a very trendy location with thriving restaurants, and other markets / Elizabeth

Rayful Edmund said...

"so you probably don't know that, in a way, it is kind of how it works these days."

This is completely delusional. No corporation or private company is obligated or even compelled to open a business because a community demands it.

Anonymous said...

There is approximately 0.0% chance of a Wegmans opening there. Let's get real. A decent Giant maybe.

Anonymous said...

There's already a Giant in the area. I think Trader Joe's is a better bet. A community petition or write in campaign can't hurt. Sure they won't be obligated to move here but at least it would put some pressure on city reps to entice them with tax breaks. Much like the one Ellwood Thompson is getting to move build a Columbia Heights store!

Coffee said...

"Ellwood Thompson’s Puts Columbia Heights Store On Hold
Posted by Jason Cherkis on Apr. 24, 2009, at 11:22 am

DCist breaks some big news on the grocery store beat: the Richmond-based organic grocery chain Ellwood Thompson's has put on hold its plans to move into DCUSA in Columbia Heights. I have walked by their promising signs in the vacant storefront so many times and thought: I can't wait for this. Damn."

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2009/04/24/ellwood-thompsons-puts-columbia-heights-store-on-hold/

Anonymous said...

The spot doesn't have nearly enough of a footprint for a Wegmans. If they demo'ed the whole shopping center it still wouldn't be big enough. They are a great company but have very specific requirements for their store locations, and ample parking is at the top of the list above and beyond their normal gigantic build outs. Wegmans doesn't do "downsized" any more.

Trader Joe's is interesting, but the demographics of the area don't support it. Sorry, I live in the neighborhood and would love to see one come, but the area is not there yet.

Raymo853 said...

A Wegmans would make me so happy, but I do not think it will come to be. Too small and too far away from the pretentious parts of DC.

A Trader Joes?!? That would also make me happy as someone getting free chocolate.

Anonymous said...

Please no more torturing the listserve, Debbie. Unless you are on the corporate board of a national grocery store chain, your opinion (and the "votes" of other interested listserve members!) do NOT matter. Either you are preaching to the choir or just talking to yourself here, no one is reading this who will get you a grocery store. Fenty won't get you a grocery store. Harry Thomas won't get you a grocery store. Nobody is putting any money into a retail space where a Safeway just failed, across the street from another major supermarket. Give it a rest already.

Tony Lewis said...

Peace to Rayful Edmond!

For what it's worth, I really will miss this Safeway. Granted, it's a dump. However, it provided this neighborhood with plenty of food (when they weren't out of essentials like meat, etc) when we really needed it.

I would rather have an upgraded Safeway, keeping the employees than any of the stores mentioned, just because they have been rooted within the community for so long.

You people talking about Wegman's and Trader Joes must be "new" to our neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

I rarely shopped at this store and I live right in Eckington two blocks away. I never shop at the Giant in Brentwood either. The Giant is always crowded so that's a no go and the Safeway just sucked and was generally kept filthy. However, I did run to this store for nonperishables when I needed them. I wish Safeway would have stayed and remodeled this joint. They could have turned around their fortunes if they remodeled it like the new Safeway on K St.

Anonymous said...

Tony Lewis, why don't you just say what you mean when you say "you people" wanting a Wegmans or Trader Joe must be "new" to the neighborhood.

That's unfortunate you're so ignorant. I know if the shoe was on the other foot and somebody made any sort of reference to "you people" on this blog, there would be hell to pay.

DCflyguy said...

I live 2 blocks from the Safeway. I would LOVE to have a Trader Joe's rather than safeway any day. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to court Trader Joe's. It would be a major asset to our community!