Former Farmer Jacks location

[sumas]

Harbortown Market is a Spartan store. Lafayette Foods is a Spartan store. If you don't like the Spartan brand, buy the more expensive name brand. Or did all you critics not notice that Spartan stores also carry name brands? And Kroger sells their generic brands. Same thing. Furthermore, all Spartan stores that I shop at are independently owned. I much prefer supporting a local business than WalMart.

As for Chaldeans, I think it's totally irresponsible and racist to use a broad brush to claim they all run bad stores. It simply isn't true. Yes, they may employ some family members in their stores, but they also hire plenty of folks from the city. Again, we're talking family businesses here. Why the shock that they might have some family members working in their business?

I remember when Kroger pulled out of the city completely. I don't care if Martians came in and took their place. If they run a decent store, I'm patronizing it. Food desert? I've lived in the city my whole life and been in the downtown area since 1981. I never missed a meal because I couldn't find food in my neighborhood.

I am so with you on that. Plenty of decent stores, people just do not have transportation. We are blessed and have transport. We do our best to assist others. I do my cooking class thing to educate youth on healthy eating. Taking 5 kids to Eastern Market in two weeks. They have never been there and it is maybe 3 miles away. As long as I am on my soap box, they have never been to a museum. So we are taking kids to the Art Institute and the Historical Museum too. The kids want these experiences just no transportation. Our future is our kids so please invest in them too.

[Zacha341]

I knew that was the case. Sometimes the produce is too close to the end. I find that so at some of the Arab stores in Dearborn where the turn over is high to offset that as that community tends consume high produce culturally. So I try to be there right when those items go out. If you are juicing you consume it fast too so it works out.

the Chaldean store have lower operating cost, Family member equal free or almost free labor. they sell items at the end of there life cycle. so they buy it cheaper. Look at all the fruit markets that opened up in Macomb county suburbs epically Sterling Heights, all Chaldean owned, and there item are at the end of the life cycle. They are repeating a system that works.

[Zacha341]

I have worked in that area from time to time. That Athlete's Foot store finally gave up last year -- they were the subject of nearly monthly break-ins, car crash-ins as the crazed lust for fancy gym shoes marched on. Those stores need to stay in enclosed malls only where they can control shrink and break-ins better.

The Ashley Stewarts has been gone for some time, DOTs going out of business store wide, the Payless left about three months ago. Bank of America remains but not longer services drive thru. You must go in or use their ATM.

Dots is liquidating all of their stores, so the only thing left soon will be the Beauty Supply store [[is the Athlete's Foot, Payless and Ashley Stewart still there?).

[Zacha341]

LOL! I was hoping for a Trader Joes [[though one is not too far in Gross Pointe). Hah!

And you trust Wal-Mart?

[Zacha341]

I go to a Spartan store called Greenland in Dearborn on Miller and Warren, the produce is VERY good there per the population who will demand nothing less.

Too many stores in the city hold people as a captive audience to serve them as they want to as the know they cannot go elsewhere. I recall two hell hole grocers on Dexter like that. Now there's nothing there.

I still don't buy my meat and dairy products from a spartan store. I don't trust them. I was hoping that a Walmart would open in the stripmall. Are there any Spartan Stores in Royal Oak, Birmingham, or Roseville?

[Zacha341]

There is one black owned Spartan store on Grand River near Redford [[what is the name?). That is not area of travel often, but I hear good things about it and they even offer some organic and gluten free stuff it that is your thing.

I wonder if these stores were owned by African American, would people be talking trash about them. People complain the Detroit is a food desert, the few stores that the city does have people complain about. MAybe they wouldn't be able to operate if they hired people from the neighborhood. They are just reselling a product. I wonder what the profit margin is.

[Zacha341]

I agree, I don't care about race or creed relative to service and quality. We need to complain more and stop shopping at these food traps. I had to literally leave a cart of stuff at a inner city Detroit grocery store up on Davison years ago when the owner talked crazy to me when I questioned the pricing/ quality of something. As I left I told him that I was not the 'captive audience' he was so poised to talking down to.

I can't speak for anyone else, but yes, as an African American myself, I would.

Privately owned and operated monopolies are bad news, regardless of who owns them.

[Zacha341]

Holiday is one of the best Spartans. I go there sometimes and love it. They are a bit high as they feature gourmet items including a pastry shop and what not. I love their little cheese island when I can afford it. Their produce and some of their meats can be high but they will special cut and you can buy some seasonings in bulk there.

One of the top 5 food purveyors in Oakland County is a Spartan store and that's Holiday Market in Royal Oak. Also, I apologize but I have to add: Fuck Walmart.

[Zacha341]

Yeah it's about education. On the other hand I am surprised how some of these meat, can goods and frozen only store survive. But if you have a core of people who eat certain foods only you get what you get. If I cannot see any level of adaptation, I just stay out of those store as my food spectrum is broader. I demand more than oranges, collard greens and onions for a produce department.

Then on the other hand I cannot do the food/ produce 'snob' thing either. So I just hit all kinds of places and venues. I enjoy the mom and pop small indies like Al Hammerae [[sp?) in Hamtramck for my bulk produce.

In fairness, most of the non-Chaldean grocery stores failed because they couldn't attract enough shoppers to keep them opened. If the residents start calling a "junk strike" and stop buying junk food and start buying vegetables, I guarantee that those grocers will change their inventory.

[Zacha341]

Good point. I think it's a love/ hate thing with folks getting blended; assumptions made and condoned, sometimes seemingly confirmed.

I work with varied populations in what I do so I am aware of the differences between Pakistani, Punjabi, Arab, Chaldean, Albanian etc. I see social and racial groups lumped together as merchants here in the city. Yes, many Chaldean stores are despised, yet patronized, and some are loved and strive to do what is right in our communities.

I see black people employed at these stores and I shop at some. I see some of these store engaged socially in our communities.

These are the same folk, who in some of the rougher areas have to open and lock down their stores at with guns at the ready should they need the added personal security.

Then I've had to personally challenge some merchants re. treatment, pricing and quality, driven, I feel from some of their generalizations about Detroiters.

As for Chaldeans, I think it's totally irresponsible and racist to use a broad brush to claim they all run bad stores. It simply isn't true. Yes, they may employ some family members in their stores, but they also hire plenty of folks from the city. Again, we're talking family businesses here. Why the shock that they might have some family members working in their business?

[Zacha341]

Yes, I agree! The availability is driving the market to a larger degree. People suffer from lack of exposure for sure. If you're raised on gas station honey buns, chips and pop no wonder you're not aware of fruit or even crave the taste for fruits and veggies. And the gulf between that and Whole Foods is too wide and impractical. I don't even buy my produce at WFs. Forget it. Thanks for doing what you do to help show our youth other options.

The point and I have made it before many times is transportation. Yes for us Eastern Market is a great place to shop. Half of our area kids have never even seen a grocery store. Just a gas station and liquor store. I have put it out there already, but it bears repeating, we got hugs and kisses for taking kids to the relocated Parkway. They never saw such selection. It really is heartbreaking. Our area kids, I call them MY KIDs have a diet of chips, pop, candy.

[313WX]

why would it require any more planning than a trip to the grocery store? I routinely stop by on my way home from work. Today I bought a rack of ribs. I parked on Russell and it took a grand total of 5 minutes.

As far as myself, I don't live downtown or near downtown either. I live in NE Detroit.

In fact, it's far more convenient, in theory, for me to buy meat from the GRosse Pointe Kroger than the Eastern Market.

[downtownguy]

I know that HarborTown is a good Spartan store. I don't want to paint the Chaldeans with a broad brush for there are probably some good Chaldean owned markets in the city. However, they do have a monopoly on the food chain in Detroit while other non-Chaldean grocery stores such as Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe and Downtown Foodland had fell by the wayside

Then don't!!! Downtown Foodland was horribly managed. Now it's run by a Chaldean family, and about 1000% improved. Just what ethnic groups are ok with you? You don't have to look too long at the Solaka brothers, who I admired very much for opening Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe, to know that they don't share my Irish/Scottish heritage. But I guess as long as they're Anything But Chaldean, then they must be ok with you.

[313WX]

And just so I'm clear, where exactly is Downtown Foodland again?

I'm aware of Lafayette Foods [[is that the former Downtown Foodland?), which I am also not impressed by.

[stasu1213]

Don't get tied in a knot downtown guy. I wasn't the one on here ranting about the Chaldeans. I had highly approved of Lafayette Foods and highly criticized Downtown Foodland. You have to admit that over the past 40 yrs inner city stores were and still are poorly ran with spoiled dairy and outdated meats. Live In these poor neighborhoods outside of your comfort downtown zone and you will see

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

Curbed seems to think highly of the new Parkway.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2...-east-side.php

[GUSHI]

it not like a new business opened in the city it just moved, whoopsie dooo

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

it not like a new business opened in the city it just moved, whoopsie dooo

It moved, and expanded quite a bit.

[GUSHI]

so is the other building empty We need new business in the city

[Zacha341]

I went to the new Spartan Store on Jefferson at St. Jean this week. I found it to be very clean and friendly staff and quite an expansive with wide isles, but the produce section was thimble size in comparison, not that I expected it to be robust.

It's mostly a 'frozen, processed foods and meat' kind of grocery store. The meat section had good fresh cuts and variety if not remarkable. Very low prices on chicken this week - good quality!

I hope more stores open up on this mall now that is has a larger anchor store once more.

[sumas]

I shop for a lot of people, mostly seniors, have housed temporary homeless folks too. Indian Village started to tick me off so am happy Parkway has moved closer. A neighbor wanted strawberries and grapes. I was a little surprised they didn't have grapes. I do love that Parkway keeps their checkout lanes all open and they have baggers that will even load your car. They are a welcome addition to our community.

[sumas]

Happy to say we are now down to just 3 people in our household. I don't mind helping folk but privacy is so cool. We do the food banks too. They know we go up and down the street distributing food. Sister Jackson actually stayed open and saved food because she knows what we do.

For all who naysay Detroit, my experiences are mostly positive.

[Zacha341]

Yeah, the produce was very sparse and a small corner of the store. That is not their thing... They barely had broccoli.

Indian Village started to tick me off so am happy Parkway has moved closer. A neighbor wanted strawberries and grapes. I was a little surprised they didn't have grapes.