October 10, 2007
Whole Foods in Talks for Gallery Place Space
Once again Penn Quarter Living is on the ball with a newsworthy neighborhood post. They link to a Downtown Neighborhood Association announcement that Douglas Development has been negotiating with Whole Foods Market to lease them store space on 7th Street between E and D Streets NW.
This is the same space that Balducci's was briefly considering before deciding against the move last year. Balducci's retreat from the location was met with a lot of desperate pleas from neighborhood residents who have long complained that they do not have a convenient food market anywhere close to them. A new prototype "urban lifestyle" Safeway is also planned at Davis Construction's 5th and K Street project, which is scheduled for completion in early 2008.
The neighborhood association has put together an online petition that Douglas Development may use to help convince Whole Foods that a sufficient and enthusiastic customer base exists for the store. Head over there if you'd like to encourage Whole Foods to come to Gallery Place/Penn Quarter.
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Will they provide quarter (sorry) for the "Stop Bitching, Sell A Tee Shirt" hawkers that pollute Seventh just two blocks north?
Cue: "COHI will never get a whole foods!!! :(:(:("
Does anyone know what an "urban lifestyle" Safeway would be?
Personally, I'd rather have a "suburban lifestyle" Safeway. I usually go grocery shopping on the days I have class in Fairfax because the grocery stores are so much better out there.
Still, it can't be much worse than my local Safeway at 4th and M in SW. If it's any better I'd drive the extra 6 minutes to get to it.
I don't live in PQ, but I like the idea of a downtown grocery store to hit on my way home from work. Sounds even better than having some developer parking said grocery store around the corner from my home.
I found this:
An "urban lifestyle Safeway" means geared to the unique needs of urban living. It means fresh produce as well as prepared foods. There's also a SunTrust Bank, a Starbucks and a Bergmann's Dry Cleaners inside so you can tackle your to-do list all in one place. It's a Safeway that fits your urban lifestyle"
In other words, a regular Safeway, but with urban pricing.
Anyone hear reliable stories on Trader Joe's opening another DC Store? I'm flabbergasted they couldn't find a space in Upper Northwest. Of course I'd prefer they move into let's say the Bestway on Mount Pleasant St or near the Giant on 14th st or really any location on Connecticut Ave or possibly INSIDE THE WOODNER on 16th St.
this City, especially downtown and near-downtown, can use SEVERAL upscale groceries, like whole foods....
TJs hasn't opened in upper NW because the Bethesda store is right across the border. No hooch in Md. It seems like every neighborhood in DC has some sort of grassroots campaign to court TJs, not to mention the residential developers who push hard for such stores because they are attractive features for prospective buyers.
"Urban lifestyle" is when you use your cornflower blue Vera Bradley duvet cover as a jizztowel.
Monkey: HAHAHAHAHA. I doff my hat to you, sir.
It'd be nice to have a Whole Foods competitor in there... oh wait WFM has already bought them all up.
Whole Foods is a scam - they mistreat and lie to their employees, they take advantage of their customer base by eliminating competition, and they are run by a total psycho in John Mackey.
I thought the Capitol Hill (Un)Safeway was the company's prototype of the urban lifestyle....
Well there's a Bethesda TJ's and a Rockville TJs, there could be a Connecticut Ave or a Georgia Ave TJs without cannibalizing customers.
As someone familiar with the lobbying efforts of bringing in retail services into the city, I know for a fact that WFM will require at a minimum 45,000 sq. ft of a retail footprint to even begin a conversation. They'll take 75,000 sq.ft. but that's like impossibly big for DC.
Plus they'll need some concession for parking for their customers only. Is there even a space that big down in Penn Quarter to accomodate this???
The only space I know down there that is remotely that large (and is only 30,000 sq ft at that) is the the street level property across from the Landsburgh that used to house that architecture firm.
Trader Joe's would make a better fit size-wise.