July 23, 2007
Harris Teeters Set to Open in 2008
Good news for grocery store aficionados in the District: the long-delayed Harris Teeter store locations in the District, one in Adams Morgan at Kalorama and 17th NW and the other at Pennsylvania Ave. SE, across from the Potomac Avenue Metro stop, finally have some official-sounding opening dates. According to an email forwarded by Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham to the Third Police District, the Adams Morgan location will open in mid-February, with the Capitol Hill store opening one month later. They will be the first locations of the popular grocery store inside the District of Columbia.
The stores have been an extremely long time coming. We first heard about the Pennsylvania Ave. location back in October, 2004 and the Adams Morgan store in February 2005, but delays regarding construction, adequate parking, liquor licenses and all the other standard issue furnishings associated with new development quickly brought plans to a snail's pace. Earlier opening dates have been announced time and time again, with the earliest "official" opening date for Adams Morgan clocking in at just under two years ago.
Will these dates actually hold firm? It looks that way, since all of the roadblocks originally raised by neighborhood groups seem finally to have been removed, though given past experience, we won't hold our breath for too long.
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Heck yes. I can't wait to start using my VIC Card again after having left NC.
Any chance of you letting us in on what those "official-sounding opening dates" might be?
Harris Teeter is sooooo 2005. Bloom is the wave of the future!
Hillrat,
It's there in the first paragraph: Feb 2008 for the Adams Morgan store and March 2008 for the Potomac Ave. one.
What does HT sell that I can't buy at any other grocery store?
Not to be too much of a dick; but "mid-February" and "one month later" aren't really dates, they're more like time frames. I guess that's why I was looking for more specific info.
The e-mail doesn't get more specific than that.
What does HT sell that I can't buy at any other grocery store?
Nothing, really. H-T isn't anything special selection-wise. It's just that they're typically clean, orderly, and staffed by employees who are competent and friendly. In other words, they aren't Giant or Safeway, at least by D.C. customer service standards.
I'll be interested to see how they get trucks in and out of the Kalorama store. Ay.
I read in the Dupont Current recently the city plans to change a couple of surrounding streets to one-way traffic, I think as part of their attempt to deal with trucks and customer traffic. But I don't remember all of the specifics.
Harris Teeter is just like Giant and Safeway. I guess it will be nice for the people who live in those neighborhoods to have alternatives to Safeway & Giant, but beyond that it's no big whoop.
Actually, the employees at the Safeway in Adams Morgan (Senor Safeway? Salvadorean Safeway? I know there was a recent DCist post on Safeway/Gigante nicknames) are about the friendliest I've encountered outside of a rural Food Lion. I don't mind shopping there, but I'm really looking forward to HT for the deli/seafood/meats/gourmet crap, which is where the Senor* Safeway is quite a bit lacking.
*And that's Senor with a tilde, not Senior Safeway, which yes I know is the Watergate Safeway.
I suppose this is mildly exciting. I've lived up north and down south, and Harris Teeters are decent stores. I'm still waiting for a Wegmans in the District, though. The ones in NoVA are way too far for us District of Columbians without cars.
I liked HT's in SC when they were still there but they sold out several years ago in the major markets excluding Charleston (and the Charlotte burbs in SC as well.) Columbia stores became Piggly Wiggly and Greenville ones Bi-Lo.
I still miss Kroger from Columbia. The only store in my area that I had ever shopped at before was Food Lion and I avoided them like the plague except the one near where I worked once (since it was open early/late and I worked late.)
Trader Joes is to open 3-4 more stores in the District, after the launch of their West End store. Any word on proposed sites, anyone??
The more grocery stores in DC, the better.
In DC, 19,500 people are served per existing grocery store. This compares to 6,700 people served per grocery store in Fairfax County. The national average is 8,500 people served per existing grocery store.
So, we have a long way to go.
But, it sure does seem like an awfully long time to open up a grocery store in the City. Mid-February? And, then one month after that for the other one? Wow!
We'll see how these latest dates work out. I'm not holding my breath!
There is an organized effort lobbying Trader Joe's to come to 3rd & H ST NE.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: anne phelps >
Date: Jun 21, 2007 7:28 PM
Subject: Trader Joe's on H Street?
To: ANC6C04
Hello neighbors,
I received an email from Commissioner Alan Kimber (6C05) earlier this week that I would like to pass on to you.
++++++++++++++++++
Fellow Commissioners,
As many of you may know, Harris Teeter backed out of their non-binding commitment to locate a store at the corner of 3rd & H Street NE, in the Steuart Development residential & retail project that was approved by the ANC last year.
The developer has been in talks with several other specialty grocery chains, with the two most promising being Trader Joe's and Yes! Organic Market. I think either would be an excellent addition to the neighborhood, and fill a much needed void. Both are smaller stores, and the developer is looking at splitting the space that Harris Teeter would have occupied, in order to lease part to one of these stores, and to secure a pharmacy tenant for the remainder of the former HT space.
Now that there are a couple of promising possibilities, the time has come where community support / pressure will be of most help in getting a store to commit to the space. If you are interested in helping bring a quality grocery store to our immediate area, please contact the stores and let them know how you feel about them locating a store at 3rd & H Street NE. Here is the contact information for each store:
Trader Joe's
Online: http://www.traderjoes.com/location_requests_form.aspx
Yes! Organic Market
Online: http://www.livingnaturally.com/contact_us_multi.asp?storeID=626D898C04BE4BDF91F7DE5E80E4133D
The more unique messages they receive, the better, so please tell them your reasons for why they should come to our neighborhood. A few things to emphasize, if you like:
--locating specifically at 3rd & H Street NE
--why you think this is an ideal location
--neighborhood really wants them
--why you would shop there
--ongoing revival of H Street
--many new high-end condos delivering now & by the time they open
(over 500 nearing completion, over 600 already have zoning approval, over 400 more with pending applications)
We've waited a long time for quality grocery shopping alternatives, and now we are in a position to directly help in attracting a store to our immediate neighborhood. Please help if you have the time and interest. Thank you.
Best,
Alan Kimber
ANC Commissioner, 6C05
Blog: http://anc6c05.blogspot.com
Website: www.alankimber.org
+++++++++++++++++++++++
We have a real opportunity here to bring a small, reasonably-priced market to our neighborhood. Should we succeed, in just a few years we'd have to two new grocers we could visit by foot -- the grocery store going in the 100 block of M St. NE (breaking ground within a year) and Trader Joe's at 3rd and H. If you support this endeavor, please contact the company with your thoughts.
H St. Main Street has also formed a committee to officially pursue Trader Joe's. I'll be participating and I'll keep you posted.
Thanks,
Anne Phelps
Commissioner, ANC 6C04
"I read in the Dupont Current recently the city plans to change a couple of surrounding streets to one-way traffic, I think as part of their attempt to deal with trucks and customer traffic. But I don't remember all of the specifics."
Last I heard it will be one-way West on Kalorama Rd, North on 17th St and East on Euclid. The loading trucks will be on 17th St. I hope the Kalorama Courts developers have already sold their units before potential residents see that they will be facing a loading dock for a grocery store.
The Safeway and Giant in Silver Spring are both great. Since I moved up here last month from Columbia Hts, I'm amazed at how civilized it is. And it's only a couple of blocks north of the District line.
Damn it, I was soooo looking forward to the Adams Morgan HT opening this Fall. I hate Safeway with a passion, mostly because of their atrocious customer service. I guess Zipcar + Trader Joes will have to suffice for now.
I have this desire to do a giant community "wave goodbye" about three months after the HT on the hill opens.
I know that many long-time hill residents will be glad to see it go. Its renovations are way too little and way too late.
HT's key advantage is self checkout. I'm in and out of the HT in Pentagon City in seconds. There's a certain Safeway downtown where the cashiers are notoriously glacially slow, as in they pick up an item, read the ingredients, mumble something, scan it, screw up, scan it again, punch in in manually, pick up next item, read it, make inane comment, rinse, lather, repeat.
The City Council has made it abundantly clear that megastores like Walmart and Wegmans are not welcome in DC. Even if they were, they'd need the equivalent of the combined Giant/Home Depot site at Rhode Island Avenue, and they still probably wouldn't have enough parking. Prohibitively expensive. Your best bet is the Wegmans they're opening in Largo Town Center. Metro accessible, if you're up for an hour ride to get groceries, and then lug them back on the Blue Line. It can be done.
If you shop at the new HT, ask the manager not to stock Smithfield pork products. Smithfield is currently exploiting the bejesus out of its agricultural workers, mostly new immigrants. It's close to slave labor conditions.
Thanks.
Feb. 2008? Goodness, what could possibly take them so long to construct these things...
Photo of progress as of July 11th here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/781747298/
-Mr T in DC
Giant also stocks Smithfield pork.
Get a car and drive accross the bridge. You have your choice of Harris Teeter, Shoppers Food Warehouse, a nice Giant, and a nice Safeway, all within 5 minutes of the Potomac. The parking lots are each of these places are filled with DC plates. The idea of using the Metro to go grocery shopping is bizarre.
some of us don't have cars.
With 5+ large new grocery stores opening up in DC within the next year, the need to get a car and drive across the bridge will become a thing of the past for some of us. And frankly, I'd rather spend my money in DC anyway.
And, some of us don't want cars.
I would love for FreshDirect to come to DC it's one of the biggest things I miss about New York. They have an awesome selection and their groceries and prepared foods were always fresh and better priced than the grocery stores.
1. mmm. Smithfield pork products.
2. what should we name the teeter? (think Social Safeway, Soviet Safeway..)
Giant delivers through peapod.com. And they guarantee if the food isn't up to snuff they give you a refund.
There are also several farmers co-ops in Maryland where, for a flat fee, you get vegetables and meats delivered.
Guest 18 wrote: "Last I heard it will be one-way West on Kalorama Rd, North on 17th St and East on Euclid. The loading trucks will be on 17th St. I hope the Kalorama Courts developers have already sold their units before potential residents see that they will be facing a loading dock for a grocery store."
That's a pretty tight turn from Kalorama onto 17th. I suspect that there will be a lot of trucks backing up/inching forward/backing up/inching forward to adjust their turning angles and/or a lot of driving over the curb in order to make the turn. Then, after that, there will be a lot of backing up to get into the loading docks.
I'm happy to see this store going in at that site, but it's going to make for some wacky traffic around there.
Haha what's wrong with Giant?
(I'm talking specifically about the one by the Rhode Island metro stop)
- you will wait at least 20 minutes in line at checkout, on any given day
- the lady at the deli looks at you, huffs, and goes "uh yeah?" like you're bothering her every single time (especially true if your a white customer)
- nasty nasty nasty produce - i once picked up a melon and my fingers went right through the rind
i love going across the river to the harris teeter at p city but i can only afford to do this a few times a year. wayyy too expensive.
if only a store could combine HT quality with low prices - ha :)
I wish we could get a Target store somewhere near downtown. I buy a lot of stuff there and the one at potomac yards is the closest to me. It really helps me stretch my budget.
Speaking of Adams Morgan and disgusting, worthless landlords in the area... BEWARE OF 1824 Belmont Road, NW in Adams Morgan, 20009.
NLRB Member Peter C. Schaumber is the owner/landlord of 1824 Belmont Road, NW Washington, DC 20009....this MESS and CESS POOL of an apartment building has had many management companies over the years and all have been terrible and provided nothing but misery to the residents.
It has been so vile and mis-managed over the years that Mr. Schaumber should be thrown in jail for sub-human treatment of residents. He has allowed his pathetic, inept management companies to get away with murder...
If you Google "Mr." Schaumber you will see he was "nominated" by President Bush for some bullshit position... he's very stupid and unethical just like "Prez" Bush so I guess that makes sense.
ALL DC HOUSING AUTHORITIES should look into his shady management of 1824 Belmont Road (THIS BUILDING SUCKS! NEVER, EVER, EVER CONSIDER MOVING INTO THIS HELL HOLE!) in Adams Morgan.
I'm sure his wife and 3 "great" children are also worthless scumbags... the apples don't fall far from the (rotting) tree!
Hey Peter....FU!