New Grocer in Downtown opened today.

[buzzman0077]

Eve's downtown gourmet grocer opened today in the Washington Square Apartment building. They are grilling dogs and burgers out front [[which were both good and only a dollar each). The inside is clean and more open than the previous store in this location. The bucher counter had some good looking meat. There was a reasonable supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a good selection of staples.

They told me they will have beer, wine and liquer in the next week or two, and that they had a full kitchen and would have a selection of prepared meals and hot foods for sale in the next month.

So if you are a downtown resident or employee come out to support this buisiness.

[BrushStart]

Wow. That's awesome. I'll try and stop by later.

[esp1986]

Speaking of which, for those of you in Lafayette Park, the old foodland continues it's transformation into 'Lafayette Foods.' I went by this weekend, and a new sign of the store's name was up on the front of the building.

[fryar]

Good news, on both counts! And [[next month) in my building, too - perfect!

[rencense]

I'm impressed with the business savvy! I saw the downtown foodland sign go up a few weeks ago and now this. If YOBS ever opens [[lol) downtown will be in pretty good shape grocery wise. Seems people are finding needs downtown and filling them....keep it up!

[stasu1213]

I had saw the Belkins beverage truck on the side of Lafayettes Foods. I guess he is starting to stock up. Detroit neighborhoods once had smaller moms and pops grocery stores which even had a butcher's shop in the back. One store owner store had caught on fire twice during the late eighties. He had said that it was the competition [[ Chadean store) around the corner from him who had set it on fire. They had tried to buy him out three times but he refused to sell to them. He had said that his store had been in the neighborhood since the 40s and he had purchased it in the middle 80s just to keep things in the neighborhood. I am not saying that Chadeans had went around burning down the competition. Only this one incident.It would be nice if more store open in reamaining neighborhoods as oppose to conveience gas and liquor stores.

[Homer]

Dang Chadeans, they should have stayed in Chad..............

[SaintMe]

Dang Chadeans, they should have stayed in Chad..............

You mean Iraq?

Facepalm. Nevermind.

[downtownguy]

Dang Chadeans, they should have stayed in Chad..............

hilarious!

[Planner3357]

hellz yeah

[Planner3357]

Just went in there and picked up some stuff. I figure since they just opened they don't have everything in stock yet.

The butcher counter could have looked a little fresher. Looks like they left the meats and salads out too long. I really hope this place makes it.

[stasu1213]

I had never said that all Chaldean store owners burn up the stores of their competetors. I had repeated what he had said. Next question; does anyone know when Lafayette Market is due to open? The shelves are still empty. I hope that the city is not putting the owners through a lot of red tape.If it was just a liquor store it would be open by now. The market on Washington Blvd looked nice. Maybe Planner could make a suggestion to the owners about the butcher counter. They are on the right track by opening up a REAL grocery store for the area. Not a convenience store naming itself as a grocery store

[gthomas]

I live in the lafayette park district area..I have many options for fresh produce and quality products less than 2 miles away. Eastern Market, Harbortown Market, soon-to-be-open Lafayette Foods, Eves Gourmet Market, Kims Produce, soon-to-be-open Ye Old Butcher Shoppe, Goodwell market,...Im pretty set! NO food desert here...

[gthomas]

Walked thru greektown today and notice a sign " Greek Grocery Store Coming Soon" located in the old liquor store, which moved down closer to the Greektown Casino Hotel.

[downtownguy]

Walked thru greektown today and notice a sign " Greek Grocery Store Coming Soon" located in the old liquor store, which moved down closer to the Greektown Casino Hotel.

That sign's been up for months.

[Hypestyles]

good news-- hope they keep lots of fresh fruit and vegetables..

[gthomas]

oh im late..

[terryh]

I will support the place if the prices are reasonable...if the prices benefit ME! We need decent jobs if we are going to be able to support local and small businesses....

[downtownguy]

oh im late..

haha, just didn't want you holding your breath. seems easy to put up a sign, a lot harder to actually open....

I will support the place if the prices are reasonable...if the prices benefit ME! We need decent jobs if we are going to be able to support local and small businesses....

I stopped in tonight. They're obviously not up to speed yet, but that's ok. As the guy at the cash register said they want to get feedback on items people want before they fill up the store. They had a decent sized produce area. As Planner3357 said, the meat counter looked a little tired, but the defunct Foodland in Lafayette Park had a large, fully stocked when they opened, and it was way too much for their initial business. Better to start out slow and wait for the business to build than to put out a lot of stuff that will just go to waste. By the looks of the display for wine, I think they're going to have a decent selection. Register guy said the liquor license probably would come through in about a week. Prices were very fair, in my opinion.

[gthomas]

Totally agree!!!

[terryh]

thanks for the review downtownguy.....you live in one of them lofts by anychance?

[downtownguy]

thanks for the review downtownguy.....you live in one of them lofts by anychance?

I'm in Lafayette Park now, but I was one of the first tenants in Trolley Plaza, now Washington Square, when it opened in 1981. I have to say, there's a bit of hyperbole in the Detroit News article. Eve's has promise, but it may be a stretch to call it a grocery store, certainly not like a Farmer Jack which the article refers to. It's a very small store that appears to want to be a bit more eclectic than the half a dozen or so other small markets downtown. Nobody has starved downtown for lack of markets. Besides the small places, within a couple of miles of the CBD are Harbortown, Honey Bee and, what's that other one? Oh, yeah, Eastern Market. Heck, even CVS--if you shop on sale and use the CVS card--has some pretty good basics. I just enjoyed 2 half-gallons of Stroh's/Sanders Bumpy Cake Ice Cream from CVS at 2 for the price of one a couple of weeks ago. And, really, if you can get your Bumpy Cake, what else do you need?

[Rocko]

From The Detroit News, "The Home Newspaper" [[according to the banner at the top of DYes at this moment)

April 01. 2011 1:00AM Downtown Detroit finally gets a grocer

Gourmet market's owner: 'We're here for the long haul'

RoNeisha Mullen / The Detroit News

Detroit— A long-awaited amenity for downtown Detroit became a reality this week with the opening of a grocery store.

Eve's Downtown Gourmet, on Washington Avenue near Grand River, features a deli counter with gourmet cheese, lunch meat and salads. It also offers a fresh meat counter, fresh fruits and vegetables, along with staples like bread, milk and canned goods.

Once called a "food desert," Detroit has long been underserved in some areas by grocers carrying affordable and nutritional food, reports say.

After Farmer Jack shut its doors in 2007, residents were left to rely on independent grocers for food supplies.

Over the years, grocery stores have opened and closed, and plans to open community grocers have fallen through. In 2008, the upscale Zaccaro's Market on Woodward and Downtown Foodland in Lafayette Park closed just months after opening.

Plans to reopen Ye Old Butcher Shoppe on Woodward Avenue have been in the works for more than a year. Crews remodeling the store said an opening date hasn't been set.

Eve's offers downtown residents a place to shop for groceries close to home.
In coming weeks, a bakery with homemade pastries, wine and a hot food counter will be added, said Gil Jarjis, co-owner of the store. One thing the store won't be selling is tobacco, he said.

"I'm putting my foot down on that one," said Jarjis, 31, of Wixom. "And this will not be a full-blown liquor store. There will only be select items, but not much."
Jarjis said he's still debating whether to sell lottery tickets at the store.

He said he hopes the limited alcohol selection and absence of tobacco will promote a positive image.

"We're here for the long haul," he said. "We want people to want to shop here."

The uphill battle for grocers in Detroit has been well-documented. Higher costs, financing issues and other problems have made keeping grocery stores open in the city more difficult than in the suburbs.

Compared to larger chain stores, Eve's prices are higher. Onions are $1.29 per pound, while at Meijer in Southfield, onions cost 79 cents per pound.

For Charlene Harris, who doesn't drive, having a market close to home is worth the extra cost.

"I'm glad it opened. This will really help me out," said Harris, who lives a block from the store. "It's a few cents more, but it's worth it to have it right here."

Eve's is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The market is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

rmullen@detnews.com
[[313) 222-2309

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110401/...#ixzz1IFHNVMHO

[DetroitDad]

10PM!? 11PM!?

Lack of late hours are very frustrating around here.

[Russix]

10PM!? 11PM!?

Lack of late hours are very frustrating around here.

The latest a decent grocery store is open in Midtown is 9pm so consider yourself lucklier than me!