Grocery stores in Greater Providence

[runawayjim]

See, exactly why I say F**k Trader Joe's.

[Pseudo_Work]

them be fightin' words...

[Recchia]

Maybe with PriceRite in Olneyville and the Stop & Shop on Manton Ave we simply just do not need another full grocery store on the West Side. But, if we do, I give my vote to Trucchi's as usual. It's cheaper than Shaws and Stop & Shop but has a nice bakery, produce and meats. And somebody mentioned Price Chopper, that place is awesome too, and very cheap. They have THE BEST supermarket donuts and have a whole aisle of bulk candy by the pound.

Meanwhile, the Stop & Shop on Branch Ave is even more mobbed than before without the two Shaws. My friend who works there said they're hiring 30 new employees to deal with it.

[brick]

I kinda fail to see why Trader Joe's is such a hotly contested establishment. It's a damn grocery store, I call that a win.

[basachs]

Maybe with PriceRite in Olneyville and the Stop & Shop on Manton Ave we simply just do not need another full grocery store on the West Side. But, if we do, I give my vote to Trucchi's as usual. It's cheaper than Shaws and Stop & Shop but has a nice bakery, produce and meats. And somebody mentioned Price Chopper, that place is awesome too, and very cheap. They have THE BEST supermarket donuts and have a whole aisle of bulk candy by the pound.

Meanwhile, the Stop & Shop on Branch Ave is even more mobbed than before without the two Shaws. My friend who works there said they're hiring 30 new employees to deal with it.

[runawayjim]

I would say we do need anther full service grocery store on the West Side. The ones you mentioned are sub-par. They are not the same caliber as Whole Foods or Eastside Marketplace. With the influx of more money into the West Side, there is greater demand for better quality. People that shop at Price-Rite deserve better as do people that now travel outside their urban neighborhood for groceries.

And Price-Rite does not sell organic goat cheese, immediately making it unacceptable.

Then again, we think we have it bad over here...

http://www.projo.com/news/content/FOOD_DES...AN.34bb91e.html

[misterchlo]

Who knew Trader Joe's would be such a lightning rod hot button of a topic?? To avoid further avoid conflict over the price of granola, I'd like to say that a Target in that spot would make me happy as well. You've got much of the groceries element available plus so much more in a stylishly cheap setting ;>

And to those who say Target would never go in that spot due to the non-suburban demographics, yes i can see that. BUT they are not entirely against venturing into lower income urban areas. My example would be the Target in South Bay in Dorchester just off 93. (I think that shopping plaza is called South Bay?!)

[Liamlunchtray]

does price rite sell produce, cold cuts, and meats?

[Cotuit]

I'm not sure how you would run out of staples like cheese and bread...

[Liamlunchtray]

Was it snowing?

[jencoleslaw]

No. It was July.

[matt]

stop and shop on branch (which is worse than the eagle square shaws)

[runawayjim]

I don't think the S&S on Branch is too bad. They're a little slow to restock sometimes, but otherwise, I've been reasonably content there.

[Garris]

I don't think the S&S on Branch is too bad.

[mandrake258]

Hi. first post. I live pretty much across the street from Eagle Square. Been living there for 2 years. Lived closer to O'ville square for three years before that. I have to say, I almost never went to the Shaws, except in cases of extreme emergency (no toilet paper! out of kitty litter! etc...) I always go to the PriceRite and also to Mekong market on Broad St plus a couple other places here and there for this n'that.

The Shaws was so expensive, and their produce section was really lousy. I don't mind the somewhat "limited" selection at the PriceRite. I do all of my own cooking, so I don't rely heavily on prepared goods or specialty items like organic goat cheese.

My two cents on what they should do with the space: either a flea market or a farmer's market. how about a cross between Philly's Reading Terminal Market and Atlantic Mill's Bigtop Flea Market? That would basically be my ideal shopping mecca

[mandrake258]

Note Update

Promenade District Neighborhood Meeting

Forum for a community dialogue

[jencoleslaw]

while i don't disagree with mandrake, i do believe that a flea market would be hardpressed to pay the $20+ per square foot lease that would need to be assumed to take over the shaws space.

for more information on that community meeting, please email the address on the posting. i was just putting it up as a favor.

[mandrake258]

for more information on that community meeting, please email the address on the posting. i was just putting it up as a favor.

[jencoleslaw]

kind of a cagey answer, but ok. I will email "them" whoever they may be...

may I ask you who you are favoring with this favor?

[mandrake258]

For someone who lives in the neighborhood, i'm surprised you don't know anything about the meeting.

[runawayjim]

For someone who lives in the neighborhood, i'm surprised you don't know anything about the meeting.

[mandrake258]

Does it matter?

[runawayjim]

I never even knew there was a Promenade Neighborhood. I thought I lived in Olneyville

[gregw]

The Promenade District runs from where the Foundry and the 903 are to Eagle Square. Some define it as running to Olneyville Sq. It includes bits of Smith Hill, Valley, and Olneyville. But it refers to the former industrial corridor along the river and not to the residential areas around it.

It's kind of like the Jewelry District, which is mostly Upper South Providence or the Armory District. These aren't official political wards either.

[foxpointer]

I think the subtext of mandrake's statements is the allegation that property developers assign new or misleading names in an effort to "re-brand" a neighborhood. This is a pretty common argument. There appears to be a heightened sensitivity to neighborhood identity when one perceives their neighborhood (as if a neighborhood name can be copyrighted and exists for their exclsive use only!) as being under attack.

As Greg points out, this specific discussion is made even more complex by the overlay of the Promenade District, which is not a political boundary but more of an invented district, the boundaries of which will differ depending on one's point of view.