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We can hardly believe it ourselves, but the Harris Teeter in Adams Morgan celebrated its grand opening this morning. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the store, only about five years in the making, took place at a little after 10:30 a.m., with Mayor Adrian Fenty, Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham, and countless Harris Teeter officials on hand to deliver run of the mill remarks and welcome to the store to the neighborhood.
The store itself is on the small side. The 37,000-square-foot space with low ceilings feels cramped in some areas, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in variety of merchandise. It's got pretty much everything you could want in a supermarket: deli, surprisingly large wine and beer sections, an impressive array of fine cheeses, a full-service pharmacy, a hot food and salad bar that will be a real boon to anyone who works within walking distance, a sushi bar, and, for some reason, a melon bar. I wasn't aware melons needed an entire bar, but hey, works for me.
Harris Teeter is open every day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the pharmacy open from
9 a.m. to 7 p.m. There are nine standard check-out lanes and 4 self-check out lanes. I bought a loaf of bread on my way out, and was treated to a courteous and enthusiastic cashier who took the time to help me sign up for the store's discount card. You can also sign up for the card online.
The controversy surrounding the store's opening continues, as we ran into L. Napoleon Cooper, self-appointed spokesperson for the small business owners and residents in Adams Morgan who were nervous about the chain entering the community. They successfully held up the zoning and permit process for an impressive amount of time, and Cooper and his partner were out picketing the store this morning. But a two-person protest versus the relatively giddy reactions we saw from the dozens of customers who lined up to be the first to buy groceries this morning is a decidedly lopsided controversy. Harris Teeter is now open in D.C., and as long as people shop there, there's not much Cooper and company can hope to do about it.
The new Harris Teeter is located in the Citadel building, at 1631 Kalorama Rd. NW.
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It's about time that the late-20th century marvel known as self-checkout has finally made its way into the District! Huzzah!
Nice storefront design
I may be asking a question that has been answered, but what is the parking situation? Is there a garage?
Self checkout FTW! Scan, pay, leave. I'm almost wistful for the senile old batfart who's buying everything with pennies and arguing about whether a coupon is expired or not. Or the cashier on ludes chewing her boyfriend out on her cellphone. Or maybe that's just the stroke talking.
Two-person protest? TWO? Hell, you need at least three for a circle jerk. What's next? A play about the common housecat, or why not the King of Siam? Give it up, Smithers.
lukfarang:
There is parking on the ground floor (the supermarket is actually on the 2nd floor), and it looks like there is also an underground parking level, as there are ramps leading below ground, although I didn't see the underground parking myself. Also, there is a bike rack right by the front door, in the parking garage. A very nice touch to include indoor bike parking, as I am sure this will be a common form of transportation for Adams Morgan shoppers.
The store is beautiful, very well thought out and put together. A great reuse of an historic building, and I love how they highlighted the art deco design instead of trying to paper over it with a boring corporate look. I am ecstatic that I will never have to go to Safeway again.
Hell yea. Anything's better than a Giants and a Safeway! This place seems a lot like the Bloom grocery stores in MD. Anyone concur?
Harris teeters are normally open 24/7-why the reduced hours?
Harris Teeter is great! I've shopped at the ones in Ballston, Alexandria-Duke St., and Potomac Yards. They all have fresh food, excellent customer service, and good selection. Plus, VIC card really does give good deals and saves me a lot of money. Their prepared foods are pretty decent too.
HT is way better than Giant or Safeway, and while it's no Wegman's, HT is one of the best grocery stores I've been to.
God, I never thought I'd be so excited about the opening of a grocery store.
loganmo - I imagine the ANC made Teeter sign a "nonbinding" voluntary agreement to limit hours. Those 4am pushcart races can get kinda loud, dontyaknow.
I am very excited about this - probably more than I should be. Hopefully Safeway and Giant will start shaping up with the new competition. Until then it is Harris Teeter 24/7 or at least 7/11.
Believe me Sommer, Mr. Cooper doesn't represent the residents of the neighborhood who were opposed to the HT opening. He represents the one small bodega inside of the Dorchester and his own interests. That doesn't mean that others didn't protest the opening of this store, but Mr. Cooper certainly doesn't represent them.
The reason this HT isn't 24 hours unlike most others is that also because unlike most others this HT is located directly in the middle of a bunch of residences (literally a couple of dozen feet from the folks across the street).
So when is the Capitol Hill HT scheduled to open? I'm excited at the prospect of being able to shop in DC without resorting to ghetto-ass Safeway.
The HT on Capitol Hill is scheduled to open on May 13. Hopefully this will lessen the chance that Safeway will run out of bread and bananas by 2pm on Sundays...
How exciting! The Teets in NC where I used to live were never 24/7, always closed by midnight.
They actually used that time to restock, clean up, etc. Love their produce selection, only place I've seen sashimi grade tuna for like 4.99/lb !
They have always been known for great customer service, let's see if that remains here in the district!
Not all Teets are open 24/7. I believe the one in Pentagon City closes. But the one in Potomac Yards is indeed open 24 hours.
I'd say let the store get settled first. THEN go 24 hrs.
God, I never thought I'd be so excited about the opening of a grocery store.
Sad comment on life in the District isn't it? I'm getting a little tumescent in anticipation of the Capitol Hill HT opening up.
Teeter is one of the few places that carry's Dukes Mayonnaise. Now, all I need is a blowup rubber kiddie pool and a supersoaker and I'm set for the weekend.
I'm with hillrat on the HT opening on Penn Ave, but I wonder if Fenty will be there with Tommy Wells cutting the ribion - He dosent make it down to Eastern Market much after the fire.
SM do you know if they will have free samples at this location. Jalapeño bread with hummus? FREDTERP
wow. really? i don't believe it. i will have to go see for myself tonight!!!!!!!!!!
Not all Teets are open 24/7. I believe the one in Pentagon City closes.
Nope, they're open 24/7.
I hate Safeway so much that I started shopping at Wegmans in Fairfax, on the nights I have class at GMU. It's pretty sad when shopping at 10:30 pm after a long day of work and class sounds infinitely more appealing that dealing with the local grocery store.
Napoleon has met his Waterloo.
I was at the Ballston store the other day (generally I don't like HT, I think they are overpriced and not all that amazing, the CH Giant and Shoppers in Takoma Park work just fine), but I had forgotten that the Ballston store is like an officially sanctioned U.Va. alumni event. That was annoying. I hope the Adams Morgan location isn't like that.
Both Pentagon City and the new one in Potomac yard (which also is smaller and has low ceilings) are 2/47/ Both of them, also, are on the first floor of mid or high rise residential-proving that harris teeter can co-exist in res. hoods.
@adamsmorgan -- assuming you were one of "the residents of the neighborhood who were opposed to the HT opening," what viable commercial alternatives did you suggest to Doug Jemal, the developer? Or, would you have preferred the old Citadel to remain a borded up shell?
I live within several blocks of the new HT, and am absolutely thrilled this place is finally open, NIMBY's be damned.
I hope HT is able to maintain a decent level of service and cleanliness so that the neighborhood has a decent grocery within walking distance. The Safeway on Columbia Rd is an insult.
loganmo - You're forgetting we're talking about Adams Morgan here. This is where people buy half-mil condos on 17th Street and are shocked, SHOCKED to find loud noises coming from 18th Street on Saturday nights.
As bad as it gets, at least they're not peeing on people.
cranky: har-de-har. seriously, i smiled...
amen to everyone who says that this is a great thing for the district. it's about time that someone lit a fire under giant and safeway's ass. i feel like giant has been doing a better job lately, but that just means that they're getting up to competent, not exceptional. i want exceptional, damnit!
(when can i convince meijer to move out here?)
another question: are the employees at h-t unionized?
DC1974...you think UVA grads live in the city? What are you, nuts? It's way to dark in here for them. Unless they're at work, they're in VA.
I have worked for Giant and been back in the behind the counter areas of Giant, Safeway and Harris Teeter.
Harris Teeter is as clean behind the scenes as it is front.
They pay there empolyees more then Giant and Safeway.
And if you get the HT card you can find some things at some very good prices.
you normally pick such great photos for your stories, these are a little sad!
I hope you didn't pay someone to take them
Wegman's rocks. I drove out there late sunday night to shop rather than face crappy produce and selection in DC.
I remember when all the busy bodies in Glover Park protested the opening of Bread & Circus (whole foods precursor). Then they actually went to the store and realized how craptastic safeway/giant were.
hey now, i am a uva grad. and i live in CH. we are not all bad.
"assuming you were one of "the residents of the neighborhood who were opposed to the HT opening," what viable commercial alternatives did you suggest to Doug Jemal, the developer? Or, would you have preferred the old Citadel to remain a borded up shell?"
I think the opposition wasn't directly aimed at Harris Teeter, per se, but what it represented: increase in traffic in the neighborhood, added parking problems. Unlike the 18th Street or Columbia Road, the neighborhood streets in Adams Morgan are relatively quiet, narrow streets and residents were wary that the new HT would wreck havoc on that more so than any drunk girl could at 2 am.
to every rule, there is an exception
imgoph, meijer is basically just walmart in a slightly less bad corporate get-up
their produce and meat is generally disgusting...just goto shoppers for your cheap canned and boxed goods
Just visited the Harris Teeter: yes to free samples, yes to good service. Clearly it is their first day open so everyone's gonna be super friendly, but I got greeted by every HT employee that I passed. I like it, it's a nice affordable option for the neighborhood, and about the same walking distance from my apartment as Whole Foods. What I'm really excited about is the opening of Yes! Organic Market, having the closest grocery store 2 blocks away from my apt definitely beats 10 blocks.
I popped my Wegman's cherry on Sunday, and it was more amazing than I could have imagined. An urban Wegman's would be awesome. I welcome my new grocery overlord though, anything that keeps me from having to step foot in my local Giant or Safeway.
Songfta,
Want to really blow your mind. At Bloom you have hand held scanners that you take with you.
A wegmans wouldn't work in an urban environment: their stores require a massive footprint and just as much parking. You know how much that kind of real estate costs? That's the primary reason they're out in the boonies of Fair Oaks and Columbia. The only way they could make it work in DC would be to make it go vertical instead of horizontal. Eight-stories with lots of underground parking would just about handle it.
Come to think of it, DCPS HQ downtown is just the right size for a Wegmans....
You know its a nice grocery store when the floors are better than my apartment floors.
Unfortunately, they are not. But they treat their employees pretty well.
The HT at Pentagon City hires some special needs folks as baggers, stockers, etc. I thought that was really cool, and they are way friendlier and more efficient than most of the employees of my local Giant.
Actually DudeLooksLikeALady, I wasn't one of the folks who was opposed to the Harris Teeter, but thanks for making that assumption. I was simply pointing that Mr. Cooper, who is a bit of a nutjob, did not speak for those who were opposed.
As for me, while I wasn't opposed, personally I would have preferred for the space to have gone back to being a roller-rink and included a nice rec center/after school drop-in space... something the area needs as much as it needs a grocery store (like it or not).
Safeway and Giant have had it too easy for the last couple of decades. It's about time they have some serious competition. Most Safeways smell like homeless doodie.
Man.. DC has come a long way. I used to trek out to the giant in silver spring for years as I'd rather spend 3 hours in the DMV than 1 hour in that #@@@!*#!!# Safeway. Now theres the wholefoods, CH Giant and this. I probably wont go down to HT much but should help shrink the lines at the CH Giant. Huzza!
lukfarang,
It’s also cool because you don't have to pay them a minimum wage...well not the Federal minimum wage.
Maybe a little healthy competition is just what Safeway and Giant need to get its act together. Both have gotten a pass for far too long (although the Safeway in Adams Morgan is 100 times better than it was 5 years ago)
1. Replace Nationals Stadium parking garage with a Wegmans.
2. ?
3. PROFIT!
We need to work a Wegmans into the plans for the Old Soldier's Home project.
loganmo: i don't know which meijer you had your bad experience with, but the produce was never disgusting at the ones i shopped at growing up in michigan.
i know that mejier is more wal-mart-y than grocery store-y, but they sure as heck aren't wal-mart (they actually had the idea long before sam walton did). and, as a michigander, meijer is just an institution. it's less about the quality of what was there (which i will reiterate, was never bad), but just the whole feel of a meijer. hard to quantify...
"(although the Safeway in Adams Morgan is 100 times better than it was 5 years ago)"
I never knew 100 times better than ghetto was still ghetto.
I just hope that those sidewalk vendors in front of the Columbia Road Safeway don't set up shop in front of or across the street from the new HT.
drew: responding to your comment --
i can appreciate the terror of more density....a little bit. but, people in reed-cooke are in the city, not in the burbs, so to expect peace and quiet seems kind of head-in-the-sand to me.
in addition, there's a helluva lot of violence in that little area, relative to some of the nearby neighborhoods, so i think more eyes on the street is only going to help things in the long run.
Being a New England boy myself, I get nostalgic for Super Stop & Shop. Man oh man. You can get everything from a carton of milk to patio furniture and do so while drinking delicious Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Now that is a grocery store.
Give me GEMCO or Alpha Beta anyday...
IMGoph: I went to school in Michigan and so am intimately aware of Michigander Meijer Love. Not being a native of the Wolverine State myself, I'm not a huge fan... I'd still rather make two stops at relatively reasonable-sized or local-friendly stores than at a mega store with a sea of parking. Then again, if they could introduce an "urban lifestyle meijer" I might be more convinced.
Wow, Alpha Beta. That brings back memories.
About time. I'm right by there on 16th. No more walking over to 18th for me!
My guess is that the selection here will be just as pathetic as it is at Soviet Target. Please prove me wrong, Harris Teeter.
"I may be asking a question that has been answered, but what is the parking situation? Is there a garage?"
If you're Jim Graham, you just pull up in your flesh-colored Beetle convertible, and park it right in front of the store, whilst blocking a fire hydrant.
I remember when all the busy bodies in Glover Park protested the opening of Bread & Circus (whole foods precursor). Then they actually went to the store and realized how craptastic safeway/giant were.
Bread & Circus? I didn't realize it was a Bread & Circus before it was a Fresh Fields. I always thought Bread & Circus was just in the Boston area. Shows what I know.
It actually took about three years after all the Fresh Fields became Whole Foods for me to realize there was a name change. I thought they were just prominantly describing what they sell.
"I can appreciate the terror of more density....a little bit. but, people in reed-cooke are in the city, not in the burbs, so to expect peace and quiet seems kind of head-in-the-sand to me.
in addition, there's a helluva lot of violence in that little area, relative to some of the nearby neighborhoods, so i think more eyes on the street is only going to help things in the long run."
I understand your point and agree, somewhat. And I am not arguing against HT. I've wanted it there. But, walk or drive down the street in and around the neighborhood, and the you'd see that the amount of vehicular traffic is pretty calm. They did not want Kalorama Road to become another Columbia Rd with a lot of traffic that moves slowly. And they were afraid of the customers taking up all of the parking spaces which is a legitimate concern.
They also raised a red flag about the sale of beer/wine on the premises given how close it is to a school, which is ridiculous since you can buy both within blocks of the school now anyway.
I really can't argue against the amount of violence in that part of the neighborhood, because I live there. But, a lot of it stems from a specific intersection, and two or three specific houses. And a lot of that happens at night, after the HT closes, usually when the bars let out.
i remember the city paper story about the house at 17th and euclid from a few years ago, and the furor that followed...
and DGrad, where in michigan did you go to school? (i went to MSU, and high school in the thumb.) just curious...one of my old roommate's dad was in charge of produce purchasing for meijer's on the west side of the state, and i'll bet that if he heard about a store that was selling crap, he'd be there to fix things in an instant...
i just realized, looking all the way back to the first comment....we already have self-checkout in the district at the giant next to the rhode island ave. station. guess that's too far east for some of y'all ;)
Not a grocery store, but a couple of the CVS stores have self check out. But I rarely see anyone using them. Probably because of the loud computer voice. I don't think it says the name of each item. That could be embarrassing: "One pack condoms! One jar Miracle Whip. One bottle, candy sprinkles!"
MikeB -- Also, if you don't have your CVS card on you to scan, there's nowhere to enter your phone number, which is why I can never use them.
stopped into the h-t after work, and it's quite nice. the only places with low ceilings (which aren't really low, they're at least 9 foot high) are in the produce and dairy sections. everything else has nice high ceilings.
the workers (and there were a ton of them) were all extra friendly, and ice cream is BUY ONE GET TWO FREE (with the discount card)!
they have a bike rack inside the entrance to the garage, which is a big plus in my book.
i'll be going back (signed up for the discount card)
Yeah, I went after work as well. Very nice. Friendly employees. Should be interesting to see how well they handle larger crowds after a while. Didn't seem like they had a lot of customers to deal with when I was there. Not sure how much publicity they put out ahead of the opening.
I went yesterday and was surprised by how light the crowds were. It also seems to have had no affect on the availability of street parking; I guess everyone is using the garage. Maybe the store will get busier once more people find out it's there.
Anyway, the store is very nice and so are the employees, and they were giving out $5, $10, and $25 gift cards which was pretty cool.
ImGoph, the meijers in columbus OH are pretty nasty. Ill take your word for it that some are nice.
a-ha!, there's your problem. ohio. inherently nasty! ;)
"i remember the city paper story about the house at 17th and euclid from a few years ago, and the furor that followed..."
IMGoph, that house is still there and it is still a problem. There is a police camera attached to the bodega across the street that looks over that intersection. That's where the drive-bys have occured. I don't know what power the city has to evict the owner and put it up for auction. Though, from the look of it, it'd need a lot of work.
i biked up to that corner after leaving h-t last night, and it just seems so much more bleak than the surrounding area. i did notice new condos just across 17th from the h-t. maybe all that combined will bring some vitality to the block.
nice of fenty to make the ribbon cutting when he can't make it out to any public art dedication ceremonies.
I can't wait for the Capitol Hill location to open! I predict it will go Ghetto in 9 weeks tops.
"The HT at Pentagon City hires some special needs folks as baggers, stockers, etc. I thought that was really cool, and they are way friendlier and more efficient than most of the employees of my local Giant."
Where I grew up, generally speaking most of the baggers in supermarkets were special needs folks who worked those jobs in coordination with state agencies. It was a good arrangement, and being functional and in contact with the community is great for the employees and for customers/citizens.
After I moved to the DC area, I realized that retarded people are much better baggers than the majority of typical unionized Giant or Safeway employees.
I can tell you how many times loaves of bread got smushed, or eggs got put at the bottom of the bag. This is why I just use self-checkout if I have the option.
Sad but true.
"[Wegmans] require a massive footprint"
Wal-Mart size, almost. The one in Sterling is about 145,000 square feet. Which is smaller than the Wal-Mart off Route 1 in Mount Vernon (170k square feet), but much much bigger than the new HT (40k square feet.) Long story short: I wouldn't hold my breath on an urban Wegmans anytime soon. HT is in Adams-Morgan because HT has proven itself willing to adapt its layout to urban markets. Look at the ones in Potomac Yard and Shirlington: both are unusually compact with non-traditional layouts; both are squeezed into the bottom two floors of high-rise buildings.
But Wegmans is going in the opposite direction. That's why they're opening new stores in Woodbridge, Manassas, Leesburg, and Fredericksburg. But not Brookland.
Just got back from my first visit to the store--wowzers! Naysayers beware. This place is fantastic. I share in the giddyness of other posters. The store was super clean, and every employee I encountered was friendly and professional. Great selection--and wow, what a wine section. Giant better step it up. We live right between HT and the upcoming Yes! Organic Market. Life is complete.
HT is great, I loved it. They had more people working in the deli section than all of Giant in CH. That being said, I was sad to be informed that my grandparents are ashamed of me by the dude out front....
"Wal-Mart size, almost. The one in Sterling is about 145,000 square feet. Which is smaller than the Wal-Mart off Route 1 in Mount Vernon (170k square feet), but much much bigger than the new HT (40k square feet.)"
anonymous troll the one in sterling used to be a Walmart. It moved further down route 28 and abandoned the building. Thank goodness for Wegmans!!!