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http://www.freep.com/article/2009120...bortown-Market
Looks like the DEGC is finally doing something positive.
Quote:
The Detroit Economic Growth Association finance committee has approved up to $239,700 in grants to assist the reopening of Harbortown Market and other retail locations along East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit.
Great news more money going to people who charge extortionist prices that your average Detroiter can't afford to pay. Turn the darned thing into an Aldi or TJ!
i think an aldi's would do well in that location though the rent at htown might be too high. shops at jefferson village or too close to mack/alter? lafayette park/towers shops? as for tj they need to ground floor it in our newest mixed use high rise, whenever its built or rehabbed [[booktower).
Gumby, thanks so much for the great news.
I have mixed feelings on this. On one hand, it's an admirable and noble goal to keep retail going in a city ridiculously underserved by quality retail, and not always [[or even mostly) because of lack of demand, but because of poorly-run operations.
On the other, if I'm reading this right, a grant is being given to the same folks [[though, the article doesn't specify one way or the other because it's so short) that ultimately ran the business into the ground, with the fire just being the perfect excuse to shutter an operation that was just kind of crawling along, anyway. Wouldn't this be a perfect and unfortunate example of putting good money after bad? Am I exaggerating the problems of the market before the fire?
I go to that Trader Joe's over on Woodward- I can't get over how friendly the staff who work there are. What's that all about? I'm used to sullen, unhappy people- it was kind of unsettling in a weird way!Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner
I agree. Zaccaro's pricing was out of control. Come on, $7 for a bottle of Sander's Hot Fudge. Must've been buying at retail and marking it up. Whoops... we're talking about Harbortown, right?
The fact that you [[and others) would even make a comments like this is a pretty clear sign that you haven't been in Harbortown for some number of years. It has a lot of nice stuff, but its staples are Spartan Brand. It was an expensive place 10 years ago. And the attacks on the store as goldbricking come off as a bit naive. The store burned and then flooded. Even with business interruption insurance, it's tough to come back from something like that.
If you think that Spartan brands are out of scale, there's
- Indian Village Market
- University Foods near Wayne State
- The supermarket at Warren and 75
- The lower-end supermarket at Lafayette and Chene
- The Aldi on Mack near Alter
And if you really want to shop like the other half, there are about 600 party stores, Walgreens, Rite-Aids and CVSs within the greater downtown area.
And Trader Joe's is not coming to Detroit. Opening one in Royal Oak and Grosse Pointe was enough for that chain.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner
Great news. Harbortown was/is great and I'm glad they're here. I only started shopping there last year [[so I don't know about the past) but I found that theire prices were fair and their selection was great.
It was/is a nice, clean, store with good stuff inside. A rarity in Detroit.
Between HoneyBee and Harbortown, I'm very pleased.
University Foods on the other hand, seems to be in decline.
Thars odd, I thought it closed due to a flood? And didnt they have insurance? if so, why the need for a grant?
I disagree about University foods. I think the place has improved drastically over the years. The selection has improved and they have started stocking healthier/organic foods with prices remaining reasonable.Quote:
Originally Posted by JStone
I agree with jt1 regarding UF. I don't often shop there, but over the past 18 months things have gotten much better.
Running the business into the ground? They operated a good, clean and consistent business in that location for nearly a quarter of a century. As is pointed out elsewhere in this thread, Harbortown was quite competitive with their Spartan brand items.Quote:
Originally Posted by MichMatters
It is unfortunate that they had a fire. I much prefer public money going towards re-establishing a much needed business than towards something like the destruction of the Lafayette Building.
I live in Lafayette Park and I can't wait for it to reopen. The prices aren't that much higher. I hope that it has more gourmet types of food. It has gone down hill over the years but maybe this can help them improve. One thing they really need to work on is the staff needs to be more friendly and helpful. I didn't go there as much because I'm not going to spend my money and then have the cashier be rude. They should look at Trader Joes staff and provide the training to improve thier staff. Everyone that lives in Detroit should check out The Honeybee. Great produce, great meat counter and friendly staff.