No Grocery Stores In Detroit, eh?

[neighbor]

.Once Detroit becomes a majority middle class city again .......

No.... you must be joking.

[Ravine]

Shall we speak the queens english on this right honorable informative forum? If I many add, WRITE the queens english.

Go work on that project with GOAT, Terryh. DetroitPlanner used "there" three times in that post, and in each case the usage was correct.

[malmarson]

What about Randazzo's on Outer Drive, near 7 mile & Van Dyke? Though not the prettiest produce store on the planet, with no deli, it still has a huge selection of produce. I've gone there for years, and have met people from as far away as Toledo coming for their prices and produce.

[DetroitPole]

You have to be joking. These moms and pops Chaldean markets add to the blight and decay of Detroit. They sell outdated products, bad meats produce, and very poor customer service. The city had always been laxed in sending inspectors to these markets and stores. Someone who work in city government is getting paid under the counter not to send inspectors out to these stores.Once Detroit becomes a majority middle class city again you will see a deline of Chaldean owned markets, liquor stores, and gas stations. Now that Detroit is predominately black, it will stay the same.

You imply that being middle class and black are mutually exclusive.

Detroit has over 80,000 households earning over $50,000. You bet your ass the vast, vast majority of them are black. Given that they are households, that is a far greater population than most of the inconsequential suburbs of Detroit.

Then again, you could come to my majority black middle-class neighborhood and explain to them that when the city becomes middle class again, as opposed to predominantly black...

[BShea]

I really enjoy Harbortown Market on Jefferson. Good selection, ok prices, clear. Have never seen bad food. It's not a super-store, but it's not really a small market, either.

Reopened earlier this year after a fire:

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/22285369/detail.html

I also have no problem driving 15 mins to Allen Park to Meijer, Target, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, etc. I do a lot of shopping at once there, and I can get there from Lafayette Park faster than I could get to the similar selection of stores on the north end of Port Huron when I lived in the southern part of that city!

[Hypestyles]

where are the ethnic-specialized grocery stores in the area; chinese/asian; middle eastern; east indian; african/caribbean; etc.

[donpablo]

where are the ethnic-specialized grocery stores in the area; chinese/asian; middle eastern; east indian; african/caribbean; etc.

Here is where i go;

Asian; store north of 8 mile/ eastside of Lahser. Also all along John R in Madison Heights

Middle eastern; All along Warren between Schaffer and Wyoming

East Indian; NW corner of Ford Road and Canton Center in Canton or next to Indo-Pak restuarant on the west side of Dequindre south of 12 mile.

African/Carribean; "Carribean/African food Store" on north side of McNichols and east of Southfield

[wolverine]

Indeed there are places here and there to get "a fair amount" of food, but it still doesn't compare to accessibility to full service grocery stores found in major cities elsewhere. Some places are experiencing over saturation even.

IMO, no access to a full service grocery store within 10 minutes walking distance = failure.

[mwilbert]

IMO, no access to a full service grocery store within 10 minutes walking distance = failure.

Maybe, but that is a pretty high standard. When I lived in Manhattan on the Upper East Side that was not the case. There were chain grocery stores within ten minutes walk, but they weren't "full service" because they weren't big enough. They didn't have bakeries, etc., and everyone bought their produce at the Korean groceries anyway, because the quality and the prices were better. The stores were not as nice as the Spartan I go to in Detroit. On the other hand, they carried a more expensive line of goods, for obvious reasons.

When I lived in Boston, there was not even anything as useful as a Spartan within ten minutes walk, just party store equivalents. There was something that wasn't a chain about 15 minutes walk, fairly comparable to a Detroit Spartan.

And when I lived in Boston and New York, I didn't have a car, so the walking distance thing wasn't just a conceit. I used to go to Haymarket and bring my groceries back on the subway.

[Lt. Dan Bassett]

for the record . . .
The SuperK on Telegraph is in the city of Detroit, but not by much. Another 1/4-mile north and you are in Southfield [[north of 8Mile). To get to Redford going west, you'd have to go 4 blocks to Five Points. A store there, I suppose, is a good thing. Better to me are my memories of Bonnie Brook golf course -- on that site stood the clubhouse. Great sledding on the hills up by 8Mile. Those were the days!

[Meddle]

First line of that post had me confused. I couldn't remember any place available on Telegraph s/o 8 big enough for a store.

Last line had me fully annoyed that they took out the golf course so many people went to, where people had parties, receptions, dances and so on.

[CLAUDE G]

As far as the Chaldean owned markets. You got to give these people credit for going into the neighborhoods they are in and conducting business, or there wouldn't be any other choices.

As far as the selection, I think we can all do better going into the suburbs and going to a big box store, but for the convience for some people they are the only game in town.

They do charge a bit more than they should on some items, but the one thing I do not appreciate is that I can't count how many times I have gone into some of these stores and have seen expired food sitting on the shelves, or food that has been on the shelves so long you can see the dust on the packaging.

[econ expat]

for the record . . .
The SuperK on Telegraph is in the city of Detroit, but not by much. Another 1/4-mile north and you are in Southfield [[north of 8Mile). To get to Redford going west, you'd have to go 4 blocks to Five Points. A store there, I suppose, is a good thing. Better to me are my memories of Bonnie Brook golf course -- on that site stood the clubhouse. Great sledding on the hills up by 8Mile. Those were the days!

Irony - That SuperK replaced the s###hole store in Southfield at 8 Mile/Beech and the Tel-12 KMart.
Bonnie Brook neighborhood did not want the golf course turned into a Department Store. Promises made, never kept, was to keep most of the river valley land [[golf course itself )as a smaller golf course. All over grown now, that land could not be built up due to flooding, but could have been kept as a 9 hole course. The sledding hills are still there, but trees and brush have overgrown in the area!!!!
Only the clubhouse land was build-able.
The Club house did need a great deal of renovations, and the owners were not able to keep it up any more. Henry Ford Trade School Alumni, all were 70+ years old at the time.

K-Mart is no longer a Detroit area corporation, so it is not likely K-Mart will want to open any new stores in Detroit. They were 'guilted' into operating the one on 7 Mile [[now the Home Depot). That did not work out [[d'ya think?) so K-Mart decided to find a location within the Detroit city limits to replace the aged store at 8/Beech.
It is surprising that K-Mart has maintained that store as a 'Super K', they are not exactly commited to that format any more, Sears is no grocery chain...

[mwilbert]

They were 'guilted' into operating the one on 7 Mile [[now the Home Depot). That did not work out [[d'ya think?)

I don't know about the "guilting", but the "did not work out" part does not accord with my memory. I believe the store was doing fine, it was KMart that was busy going bankrupt, and the store was one of the hundreds they closed at that time. They closed the Super Ks in Auburn Hills, Sterling Heights, and Canton Township at the same time. Certainly the Home Depot is doing well at that location; my understanding is that at least pre-recession it was one of their most profitable stores.

Since ESL bought KMart out of bankruptcy and merged it with Sears, they have continued to close stores and sell off real estate. As far as I know the stores they have been opening are different formats, like the mini Sears Hardware places.

[preserve]

So what's wrong with going to a meat market, a produce stand, a bakery. Why does everything have to be purchased at one store? Detroit has lots of individual stores. And it doesn't hurt to travel a little out of the way to go to Mexicantown or Hamtramck, broadens the outlook. Why spend hours in a big box store looking at the "WalMart" stereotypes?

[softailrider]

So what's wrong with going to a meat market, a produce stand, a bakery. Why does everything have to be purchased at one store? Detroit has lots of individual stores. And it doesn't hurt to travel a little out of the way to go to Mexicantown or Hamtramck, broadens the outlook. Why spend hours in a big box store looking at the "WalMart" stereotypes?

Because in a city with a population of 800,000 there shouldn't even be this conversation. There should be numerous Krogers, Meijers, Winn- Dixie's ect. It's incredible there aren't more then 1 or 2 in a city the size of Detroit. Meijers built an entire new store on M-59 and Adams Road in half the time they've been fookin around with the dirt on State Fair and Woodward.

[Hermod]

Because in a city with a population of 800,000 there shouldn't even be this conversation. There should be numerous Krogers, Meijers, Winn- Dixie's ect. It's incredible there aren't more then 1 or 2 in a city the size of Detroit. Meijers built an entire new store on M-59 and Adams Road in half the time they've been fookin around with the dirt on State Fair and Woodward.

If the population of Detroit would treat the stores, employees, and the property of the stores with more respect, just maybe there might be a hundred name brand supermarkets within the city limits. Detroit and its denizens have created such a hostile environment for retail, that no one wants to operate a store in Detroit.

[Parkguy]

When I moved into Rosedale Park 30+ years ago, there were three full grocery stores within four blocks of my house: Chatham, A&P, and Great Scot. If you remember those chain-grocery names, you realize that the food industry has changed. The average chain grocery store in this part of the country now requires over 150,000 square feet, while these older models were more like 45,000 square feet. Thus, new stores are only built on large parcels at major interchanges. The cost is too expensive to do otherwise. Recent articles about Walmart downsizing make a big deal about dropping down to 120,000 square foot stores in urban areas-- as a test.

Many of the remaining "small" grocery stores in the city were actually once considered full-size, even luxuriously large stores, owned by major chains [[like Chatham, Great Scot!, A&P, National Food Stores, Farmer Jack, etc.)

It is nice to see that some big-box stores are willing to try out new arrangements for this part of the country [[not so new in other, more expensive real estate markets)-- like the Target store at Telegraph and Square Lake that has parking under the store. This kind of planning will allow a store to be put on a smaller parcel. I will wager that we'll see a store like this on Woodward once light rail is up and going and density increases.

Here's a photo of a QFC Store [[Kroger-owned) near downtown Seattle. It is actually an older store. Escalator to more stores on the roof-level.

http://imagesus.holiday-rentals.co.u...0916676111.jpg

[wolverine]

So what's wrong with going to a meat market, a produce stand, a bakery. Why does everything have to be purchased at one store? Detroit has lots of individual stores. And it doesn't hurt to travel a little out of the way to go to Mexicantown or Hamtramck, broadens the outlook. Why spend hours in a big box store looking at the "WalMart" stereotypes?

It would be great if all those individual stores were on one street...right by where you live. Traveling out of the way still doesn't seem all that appealing. It's a shame American culture is that obsessed with driving. It's precisely the reason Wal-Mart's exist anyway. Yet on the other hand, driving all around town to get essentials at great establishments seems like a waste of time as well.

[Lt. Dan Bassett]

how to know if you are a geezer:
you remember when Shiawassee went all the way through from 7Mile to Telegraph just north of Pembroke -- or got leeches on yer nuts pulling golfballs outta the Rouge at Bonnie Brook.

[DetroitPole]

If the population of Detroit would treat the stores, employees, and the property of the stores with more respect, just maybe there might be a hundred name brand supermarkets within the city limits. Detroit and its denizens have created such a hostile environment for retail, that no one wants to operate a store in Detroit.

Hahaha what a brilliant analysis...national chains aren't flocking to Detroit because citizens of Detroit aren't nice to them...where do you come up with this shit, seriously?

I can just picture it, a boardroom at Wal-Mart Headquarters, "No, we don't want to do a Detroit store. People there aren't very respectful."

You clearly must be in high finance. Or just high.

Oh by the way, can you provide me with some evidence to back up your claim? Oh, all you've got is that you hate black people? Got it.

[lincoln8740]

Hahaha what a brilliant analysis...national chains aren't flocking to Detroit because citizens of Detroit aren't nice to them...where do you come up with this shit, seriously?

I can just picture it, a boardroom at Wal-Mart Headquarters, "No, we don't want to do a Detroit store. People there aren't very respectful."

You clearly must be in high finance. Or just high.

Oh by the way, can you provide me with some evidence to back up your claim? Oh, all you've got is that you hate black people? Got it.

I think "treat them with more respect" means don't steal everything in sight

[stromberg2]

What Lincoln said.

Stromberg2

[DetroitPlanner]

It would be great if all those individual stores were on one street...right by where you live. Traveling out of the way still doesn't seem all that appealing. It's a shame American culture is that obsessed with driving. It's precisely the reason Wal-Mart's exist anyway. Yet on the other hand, driving all around town to get essentials at great establishments seems like a waste of time as well.

All big boxes do is transfer much of the transportation cost onto the consumer. The consumer will drive a few miles more to save a nickle on deodorant. Folks don't see money they spend in gas, wear and tear on vehicles, or the extra time they spend driving or walking around giant stores or waiting in lines as something with a moneary value. These store know that. This is what killed much of the shopping in Detroit as up until recently there were few places to put these stores economically.

[bartock]

Within two miles of our HW home are five Kroger stores. Three of them have been remodeled in the past couple of years, and in total 4 of them are "big" stores. Throw in a Spartan store on the 94 service drive. and in addition to other "food retail" there are six stores. All of these stores are close enough to Detroit and all have healthy numbers of Detroiters in them. Not sure what my point is, other than if it was simply a problem of having "Detroiters" as customers, I doubt there would be so many stores so near, but not in, city limits.