I have often defended Meijer as "not evil" big-box retail, because it's privately owned by the family, has some focus on Michigan and organic products, and because the money stays in the state. I live in Corktown and I'm only around Old Redford occasionally for The Redford Theatre, but the proposal to raze the significant Redford High for a Meijer for the first time gives me mixed feelings.

I think shopping at most other Meijer locations isn't problematical because they are in ephemeral locations that as James Howard Kunstler might say, are "not worth caring about". My old suburban house, a short walk from a Meijer, was worth caring about but was not part of a coherent town or neighborhood in any way.

I don't know how Old Redford feels as a resident, but it seems like a real neighborhood worth caring about, and losing this significant building is a shame and erodes the character of the place. At the same time, I would be more likely to shop at that Meijer, knowing that it's closer then Allan Park and employing Detroiters and represents the company taking interest in the city.

So now that we have Meijers attention, when do we put the pressure on them to persuade them to behave within the city and respect it, since the rules are different than they are in Canton?

I can't speak to Meijer destroying the Old Redford retail strip. When the Meijer opened near my old house, several new strip malls were built nearby and new businesses opened near it, though most of them were chain retail and it was a very different time and place. Also, I *do* shop at Meijer, whether or not it's in the city. The odds that I'll stop by Motor City Java are greatly increased should they locate there. How many people will be drawn to the area by the store? Will that balance the number of locals who choose Meijer over that shoe shop around the corner from The Redford?