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Grocery store Downtown/gulch/Sobro options/opinions?

nashvillwill

By nashvillwill
in Nashville Coffee House

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nashvillwill Burg

nashvillwill

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So, we always talk about the need for a full service grocery in/around the downtown area. I'm just curious where and what you guys think would be the best option?

If you can only have one.

My list of players is;

-Publix

-Kroger

-Target (city)

-Whole Foods

Areas are;

-Downtown

-Sobro

-Gulch

-Capital

My personal preference would be a city Target in Sobro on the old Methodist Publishing site. (I think I'm naming the right place. I'm talking about the one that was originally proposed for the school that now wants to go to the prison). Just west of the CC. I think it would do several things;

-serve the most people (Gulch and Sobro residents)

- develop in a high profile site

- add a retail component that could spur other retail in the area.

- serve the basic needs of convention go'ers

-help bridge between Sobro and the Gulch.

Just my thoughts. Discuss.

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nashvillwill Burg

nashvillwill

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My only fear about Kroger is this;

They have never (to my knowledge) done anything remotely close to a store with an urban design. I would hate to see them drop a suburban style store with a sea of parking somewhere around the core. Now, if they can think outside the box (figuratively and literally), then I'm all for it. Target knows how to do it. While foods does too. Even Publix has a decent example in the Village. I just haven't seen anything from Kroger that doesn't wouldn't make me fearful if they decided to.

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CenterHill Town

CenterHill

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The Kroger at 8th and Monroe (1 block off Jefferson) is still alive and kicking and probably serves as the default supermarket for a lot of downtown residents.   It sells gas now, too.    There's also the HG Hill city market in the Viridian.  It's very small, but they have a decent prepared foods counter.    

 

Because of those two, I'd say the most underserved area today is Sobro (I don't really count Turnip Truck in the Gulch, which serves a different niche).   A good grocery in Sobro would serve the Gulch, Sobro, Rolling Mill Hill, Chestnut Hill and even Wedgewood-Houston. 

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Hey_Hey Burg

Hey_Hey

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Midtown is also without anything. Harris Teeter in Hillsboro Village is the closest, but not really walkable. I would love for a full service grocery to locate in either one of the two announced AMusic Row Roundabout developments or in the buckingham development. While we need one downtown, I just don't know if any grocers are going to locate in he CBD or in Sobro. It doesn't fit their normal course of business and would require them to change their formula that has gotten them where they are now.

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bigeasy Burg

bigeasy

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Kroger Marketplace would be a good fit for the area since they carry much more than just groceries. There are a few "urban" design stores around that I would be happy seeing.

 

This one is in Columbus, OH.

Entry@High.JPG

 

 

 

There was also a design for one in Lexington, but I don't think it happened. Like Nashville, the locals fought the change and wanted it to be downsized and more suburban.

 

http://bizlex.com/2013/02/new-larger-kroger-planned-for-euclid-avenue/

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Hey_Hey Burg

Hey_Hey

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The one in Lexington received approval by the city, but some neighbors are still fighting it. I believe they're suing over Kroger having access to a driveway for trucks delivering goods, but Kroger has already said they will still do the development even if they lose the suit. Parking for the Kroger in Lexington will have parking on top of the building. That area of Lexington is very similar to Hillsboro Village and Belmont-Hillsboro.

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Titans10 Hamlet

Titans10

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I work at Whole Foods and we had a vision day about 6 months ago where we lay out the future plans for the company, they want to double the number of stores they have in the south and showed us a map of possible locations they want to build, and Nashville had two additional locations. I would say Nashville would be sooner rather than later because the store in Green Hills is the busiest in the region.

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nashvillwill Burg

nashvillwill

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I work at Whole Foods and we had a vision day about 6 months ago where we lay out the future plans for the company, they want to double the number of stores they have in the south and showed us a map of possible locations they want to build, and Nashville had two additional locations. I would say Nashville would be sooner rather than later because the store in Green Hills is the busiest in the region.

Do tell! Do tell! Where?! Where?!

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Titans10 Hamlet

Titans10

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I wish I knew more but unfortunately I don't, I only got to see the map for a couple of seconds and I don't know how accurate it was. That being said the two extra spots that fell on Nashville looked to be the gulch and a store in the Murfreesboro area, but again I don't really know how accurate it was, and this was the hopeful plan until 2020

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TMcKay9 Whistle-Stop

TMcKay9

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Kroger remains the 800-lb gorilla in the Nashville market, so I would think it would be their honor to open a store in downtown. Some here may recall they used to have a store off of Jefferson near 8th. Perhaps opening a store in one of the underutilized blocks above Lafayette ?

 

I feel like Lafayette would be a very bad place.  Between the Greyhound, the Mission, and JC Napier and University Court it wouldn't be a place where Gulch/Midtown/downtown residents would likely go.  A Publix or Whole Foods type grocer would never consider locating there.

 

Could Trader Joe's be a possible player as well? I've heard they have been waiting for the wine in grocery store bill to pass the state assembly before adding locations in TN and it seems more certain than ever it will on the next attempt.

 

For the Gulch/Midtown I would rather have a Publix, Kroger, or Target than a Trader Joe's.

 

I usually go to the Kroger on Franklin Road or the one on 8th, both are about a 5 minute drive.  I know the demographics aren't there yet but I'd love to see something on the ground floor of a centrally located Gulch development.  I would gladly settle for a centrally located Walgreens and a Publix on the NWM site.  If I was Dollar General I would locate a flagship Dollar General Market in the Gulch.  It would be a great way for them to launch themselves into a different market.

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nashmoney Hamlet

nashmoney

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There's a dollar general and walgreens on 5th Ave downtown. Gulch residents could hop the green circuit for free. I think both stores stay open until about 6 or 7pm.

I wish more people downtown, and the gulch would use the free circuit routes for their transit needs.

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TMcKay9 Whistle-Stop

TMcKay9

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There's a dollar general and walgreens on 5th Ave downtown. Gulch residents could hop the green circuit for free. I think both stores stay open until about 6 or 7pm.

I wish more people downtown, and the gulch would use the free circuit routes for their transit needs.

 

I do ride the Circuit a decent amount and I'm usually the only one on it.  For one to go to the Walgreens on 5th you have to catch the bus in The Gulch then 5th and Deomnbreun is as close as the green circuit gets so you either have to walk half a mile up 5th or wait on the blue circuit (walking the .5 mile is usually faster) to take you the rest of the way, then do the same on the way back.  The trip ends up being well over an hour.  This is all fine and dandy unless you're busy and you'd rather spend that hour doing something other than riding transit and walking a mile to pick up some toilet paper and cat food.  I can hop in my car and go to the Walgreens on Charlotte and be back in my living room in 15 minutes.

 

There are plenty of options if you want to take the bus or drive a car.  For the Gulch to blossom into a true urban neighborhood there needs to be some kind of grocery/drugstore/minimart located within reasonable walking distance.

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volsfanwill Burg

volsfanwill

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Could Trader Joe's be a possible player as well? I've heard they have been waiting for the wine in grocery store bill to pass the state assembly before adding locations in TN and it seems more certain than ever it will on the next attempt.

believe it or not there is actually a trader joes in knoxville, I moved away just before it opened in late 2012 but I think they made a deal with teh liquor store across teh street to sell their famous wine

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