Changes to the old Downtown Foodland on Lafayette

**stasu1213** · December-30-10, 11:33 PM

The owner of Downtown Foodland was open for suggestions but was unreachable once his market started failing. Lance, you would suceed if you dont follow in that footstep

**LafayetteFoods** · December-31-10, 10:34 AM

Thank you everyone. There has been an issue about the "riff raff", loitering, shrink, etc. A mini station [[police station) was suggested and this would be a great idea. I need help on trying to make this happen. Does anyone have any information/leads so I can get this started? I will work directly with the landlord to try and get this done. Thank you.

DetroitPole · December-31-10, 04:55 PM

You said in another thread that the same people operate a grocer on Harper between Whittier and Cadieux. Is it Del Point foods?

**stasu1213** · December-31-10, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by LafayetteFoods

Thank you everyone. There has been an issue about the "riff raff", loitering, shrink, etc. A mini station [[police station) was suggested and this would be a great idea. I need help on trying to make this happen. Does anyone have any information/leads so I can get this started? I will work directly with the landlord to try and get this done. Thank you.

Give us the name and number of the owner of the strip mall on Lafayette and Orleans and maybe some of us could convince them into giving the Sherriff or police dept low rent just to set up shop in the mall. The strip mall on Mack and Alter has a mini station in it. A station would be a deterrent to crime and will encourage more small businesses to open in the location. If not a police/sherriff station have an area where security or rent-a-cops could be posted

**douglasm** · December-31-10, 05:35 PM

I'm curious, Lance. What's your square footage? I'm not familiar with the location so I'm wondering if your store is "superette" sized [[like a small town IGA for example), or something more akin to a larger grocery store? And, if you can give out that information, whose your distributor?

**stasu1213** · December-31-10, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by douglasm

I'm curious, Lance. What's your square footage? I'm not familiar with the location so I'm wondering if your store is "superette" sized [[like a small town IGA for example), or something more akin to a larger grocery store? And, if you can give out that information, whose your distributor?

Excellent question.

**erikd** · January-02-11, 01:23 AM

I agree with the importance of cleanliness and consistent hours. These are two huge things that will be crucial to your success. The second that customers feel like the store is slipping in consistency and/or quality, they will not come back.

It is a good idea to have a Facebook page and website with store hours, location [[a simple google map insert would be fine), a basic description of the products and services offered, a customer feedback email link, and a few pictures of the exterior and interior of the store. It is important to have a web presence, but it doesn't have to be elaborate or flashy. Simple, clean, and informative is the way to go, and it won't cost much to create and maintain.

I think it is a great idea to visit the other grocery stores in the area, and see what they are doing well and what they are doing poorly. Honeybee is a great place to visit if you want to see a thriving grocer in the city.

It is also a good idea to look around the neighborhood to see what products and services are lacking. Over the last 10 years or so, many chain pharmacies have opened up in the area, so you might want to focus on product lines that are not found in the string of Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid stores along Jefferson. If you can't beat their hours, prices, and service, it might not be a good idea to go after that segment of the market.

I would also suggest that you don't spread yourself too thin in an attempt to be everything to everyone. It is very tempting to try to fill all of the requests and desires of your potential customers, but you have limited space and resources, so it is better to focus on a few things that you can excel at.

In my opinion, Zaccaro's market on Woodward tried to do too many things, and did not succeed because of it. They had a small store featuring a deli, produce, bakery, wine room, coffee counter, meat counter, etc. It was a nice store, but in my opinion, they did not offer the best selection, service, or prices on anything that they sold.

I would strongly suggest against trying to offer a deli, bakery, butcher, produce, specialty beer and wine, pharmacy, boxed and canned goods, bill paying services, frozen foods, and everything else under the sun. You do not have the space to do all of these things well, so it would be much better to focus on a few of these product lines and services and be the best at what you choose to do.

I look forward to shopping at your store and wish you the best of luck in your endeavor.

**Meddle** · January-02-11, 05:38 AM

Originally Posted by LafayetteFoods

Thank you everyone. There has been an issue about the "riff raff", loitering, shrink, etc. A mini station [[police station) was suggested and this would be a great idea. I need help on trying to make this happen. Does anyone have any information/leads so I can get this started? I will work directly with the landlord to try and get this done. Thank you.

Got a bakery inside? If so, make fresh donuts and keep fresh coffee on at all times. Let the precincts and MSP know. You'll have more cops than you can shake a stick at.

Sounds like a stereotypical joke, but I'm more than half serious. Cops love freebies. Offer discount coupons to cops and firefighters. Use common sense and apply limits, don't just let them take advantage. Something like 10 or 15% off sales over $50 twice a month.

Make a deal with DFD for discounts to on-duty fire crews for the stations in the area to get them to shop there for their daily chow groceries.

Neighborhood nasties won't like it much if they don't know when PD or FD might show up.

**Meddle** · January-02-11, 06:16 AM

Originally Posted by Det_ard

Start a Facebook business page.

No, don't do that.

**stasu1213** · January-03-11, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by erikd

I agree with the importance of cleanliness and consistent hours. These are two huge things that will be crucial to your success. The second that customers feel like the store is slipping in consistency and/or quality, they will not come back.

It is a good idea to have a Facebook page and website with store hours, location [[a simple google map insert would be fine), a basic description of the products and services offered, a customer feedback email link, and a few pictures of the exterior and interior of the store. It is important to have a web presence, but it doesn't have to be elaborate or flashy. Simple, clean, and informative is the way to go, and it won't cost much to create and maintain.

I think it is a great idea to visit the other grocery stores in the area, and see what they are doing well and what they are doing poorly. Honeybee is a great place to visit if you want to see a thriving grocer in the city.

It is also a good idea to look around the neighborhood to see what products and services are lacking. Over the last 10 years or so, many chain pharmacies have opened up in the area, so you might want to focus on product lines that are not found in the string of Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid stores along Jefferson. If you can't beat their hours, prices, and service, it might not be a good idea to go after that segment of the market.

I would also suggest that you don't spread yourself too thin in an attempt to be everything to everyone. It is very tempting to try to fill all of the requests and desires of your potential customers, but you have limited space and resources, so it is better to focus on a few things that you can excel at.

In my opinion, Zaccaro's market on Woodward tried to do too many things, and did not succeed because of it. They had a small store featuring a deli, produce, bakery, wine room, coffee counter, meat counter, etc. It was a nice store, but in my opinion, they did not offer the best selection, service, or prices on anything that they sold.

I would strongly suggest against trying to offer a deli, bakery, butcher, produce, specialty beer and wine, pharmacy, boxed and canned goods, bill paying services, frozen foods, and everything else under the sun. You do not have the space to do all of these things well, so it would be much better to focus on a few of these product lines and services and be the best at what you choose to do.

I look forward to shopping at your store and wish you the best of luck in your endeavor.

I was also saying earlier that he should keep it simple for the first year until he develop a steady customer base. Have the basics get the hot foods, coffee shop, and sushi bar later. He would have to hire more employees for that task and in this economy he can't afford to do that. Be simple and concentrate on dairy, meats, fruits and vegetables, canned, and dry goods. I would rather extra money be spent on a rent-a-cop than on a sushi bar with a cook.

**SWMAP** · January-03-11, 12:58 PM

Take a trip to Ryan's Market in SW Detroit to see what clean, modest, and helpful looks like.

**stasu1213** · January-03-11, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Got a bakery inside? If so, make fresh donuts and keep fresh coffee on at all times. Let the precincts and MSP know. You'll have more cops than you can shake a stick at.

Sounds like a stereotypical joke, but I'm more than half serious. Cops love freebies. Offer discount coupons to cops and firefighters. Use common sense and apply limits, don't just let them take advantage. Something like 10 or 15% off sales over $50 twice a month.

Make a deal with DFD for discounts to on-duty fire crews for the stations in the area to get them to shop there for their daily chow groceries.

Neighborhood nasties won't like it much if they don't know when PD or FD might show up.

Someone should open a cafe where doughnuts and coffee are sold. The spot where the Paris Cafe would be good for that. The cops would still come to the area to go to it. I think that the more store that open up in the mall, the more money each store could pool for security of the area

**EastsideQT** · January-03-11, 01:27 PM

I live about 10 minutes from Lafayette Park...I would love to be able to drive only 10 minutes to get to a full line grocery store that sells quality food at prices that I don't have to get a second job to pay for. The last supermarket that was there was a total flop. I went there once and it smelled like rotting meat...I never went back...So I will go to your market when it opens...I hope I am not disappointed....I don't like going to outside of the city to shop for food...but I will if that's what I have to do to get my groceries....Looking forward to your grand opening.

**douglasm** · January-03-11, 08:33 PM

That's one reason why I asked about floorspace and who the wholesaler would be. Keep in mind a smaller, independent store has to charge higher prices than say, Kroger, if only because it isn't doing the sales volume. What the customer has to consider when making a buying decision is total value. That is, if a can of soup costs $1 at the new store, but only 79 cents somewhere else, how much would it cost you in both time and money to drive to the cheaper location to save a dime. The convenience of a local store can far outweigh the price advantage of a store further away.

DetroitPole · January-04-11, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Got a bakery inside? If so, make fresh donuts and keep fresh coffee on at all times. Let the precincts and MSP know. You'll have more cops than you can shake a stick at.

Sounds like a stereotypical joke, but I'm more than half serious. Cops love freebies. Offer discount coupons to cops and firefighters. Use common sense and apply limits, don't just let them take advantage. Something like 10 or 15% off sales over $50 twice a month.

Make a deal with DFD for discounts to on-duty fire crews for the stations in the area to get them to shop there for their daily chow groceries.

Neighborhood nasties won't like it much if they don't know when PD or FD might show up.

Great idea.
People will also feel better shopping there when they see cops in there.

However I would discourage trying to get DFD to show up. A cop can deter crime, but a firefighter probably cannot deter a fire.

Also, speaking from experience, DFD firefighters have shown completely blasted, wasted, fall-down-drunk to places of business I have experience with first thing in the morning enjoying freebees. I think they're great and all, but I'm being serious.

Pingu · January-04-11, 04:16 PM

Lamb .....

**English** · January-04-11, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by douglasm

That's one reason why I asked about floorspace and who the wholesaler would be. Keep in mind a smaller, independent store has to charge higher prices than say, Kroger, if only because it isn't doing the sales volume. What the customer has to consider when making a buying decision is total value. That is, if a can of soup costs $1 at the new store, but only 79 cents somewhere else, how much would it cost you in both time and money to drive to the cheaper location to save a dime. The convenience of a local store can far outweigh the price advantage of a store further away.

Totally agree. Also the quality of products and ingredients make a difference. There is a reason why some of the new "hipster" businesses in the city are packed. People know quality when they taste it.

Ravine · January-04-11, 08:59 PM

I am 100% with those of you who have recommended this general approach: Start modest [[don't try to do everything, but be good at what you do,) keep the place clean, and do whatever you are able to do in the direction of helping folks to feel reasonably safe. [[One of the worst things is to allow for groups of ne'er-do-wells to loiter around the entrance. That can be a problem which is difficult to solve. I wish I had a sensible suggestion.)

That's the way to build up a customer base, and maybe even a decent reputation that could move people to drive a mile or so just to come to you.
Over-extending yourself at the outset sounds like a good way to lose money from Day One, never get off the ground, and be closed inside of a year and a half.

Some folks seem to want a full-service, low-priced, immaculately clean & brightly lit [[those would be me) store with a full two acres of parking and a 3-man security staff. I understand that, certainly, but the shoppers who want all of that really need to hop in the cars, or onto the bus, or into a cab, and head for Wal-Mart, Meijer, Kroger, whoever. If folks want to avoid that which they perceive to be Evil Empires, they will have some difficult, and expensive, choices to make. Let that be their problem, not yours.

And, as Douglasm pointed out [[although not putting it this way,) anyone with any sense is going to understand why the item that is 0.79 at Kroger is 1.00 at your store.

For years, people have been saying, "we just want a decent grocery store, nearby, that has some fresh food and doesn't stink to High Heaven."
Yep. That's it. So start there, and build to whatever else is within your means.

**brizee** · January-04-11, 10:10 PM

Design the type of store you'd like to attend. Keep it clean. Have a relaxed inviting atmosphere. Treat customers like you value them. Be open to suggestions on products.

Little side story.

I once went to a Supermarket near the university district I won't name. A pineapple juice carton had a sticker that read 2 for 4 bucks. I grab 4 bottles and head to the chekcout. I get charged 11 dollars, and ask what going on. Turns out some of the bottles were marked down and others were 2.99. The reason? The marked down bottles were expired. They tried to sell me their trash. I walked out, haven't returned since, never will.

**LafayetteFoods** · April-06-11, 10:18 PM

Hello DetroitYes family!

I would like to update all of you that Lafayette Foods is coming along great. We should be open within the next month or so. I have talked to many people from the community and everyone seems pretty excited. I have one important question on advertising. Does anyone know a way to advertise to the local towers, besides postal? I ask this because I don't think postal allows mass advertising to the towers, correct me if I am wrong. Even if it takes a drop off in the lobby or on a bulliten board, ect to advertise, please let me know.
Thank You,
Lance
Lafayette Foods

**LafayetteFoods** · April-07-11, 09:06 AM

lafayettefoods@gmail.com

**English** · April-07-11, 10:42 AM

Try the free circulars: Detroit Monitor, Metro Times

You should also set up a bare bones website so that when residents, workers, or visitors Google "supermarket Detroit" or "groceries downtown Detroit" or "stores Lafayette Park" your store comes up in the first 3 results. Have your store hours and location [[address, phone, and link to a Google map) available on the home page or within one click. In an iPhone and Blackberry world, this is essential.

**BrushStart** · April-07-11, 01:07 PM

You NEED to send a press release to Model D Media, Metro Times, and Real Detroit. Most likely, they will plug your store for free on their websites and in their publications. I would also send a press release to Crain's Detroit- possibly Bill Shea, Nathan Skid, or Nancy Kaffer. Send a letter to the Detroit News and Free Press. Send an email to Jeff Wattrick or Jonathan Oosting who blog for MLive.com. These are my sources of information in the city, other than word of mouth.

You might also want to have a stand at Eastern Market with fliers letting people know you are open for business and give out some free food samples.

**English** · April-07-11, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

You might also want to have a stand at Eastern Market with fliers letting people know you are open for business and give out some free food samples.

Totally agree. Also consider a stall at the WSU Farmers Market on Wednesday afternoons. Last year, the only folks selling prepared foods there were the Russell Street Deli folks, and they regularly sold out. I am sure they generated new business and made money.

**stasu1213** · April-07-11, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by LafayetteFoods

lafayettefoods@gmail.com

I was afraid that the city was putting you through a lot of red tape. Do you think that you will open with a couple of weeks? You could ask the management at Lafayette Towers if you cay place flyers inside the mailroom of both towers. Their number is 313-567-6100. Place flyers in the lobbies of all the coops and apartment buildings around lafayette park