Ideas for new retail in Murray Hill

[JC]

My family and I live on Trask St about two blocks from Edgewood. 

One of the most annoying things in my opinion is getting in my car to drive to a grocery store.  Publix in Riverside is horrible, parking is a nightmare and the store has a crazy layout.  Publix on Roosevelt also suffers from parking problems.  This is a very walkable neighborhood and there are how many residents in the Florida Christian Apts?  That is why I think the building would be perfect for a smallish neighborhood grocery store.  Carry the staples but also some specialty stuff, resell bread from Knead and Community Loaves to expose others to their products.  This neighborhood has the population density to support such a store, especially with all the folks in the apartments.  Gourmet whatever and boutique shmoutiques are a silly idea because they are not what everyone needs.  Everyone needs a grocery store within walking distance it ties a neighborhood together.  When I lived in The Bronx our corner store made some serious money off neighborhood people that WALKED or BIKED to the store, and it was a huge convenience.  If there was an affordable neighborhood grocery store I would spend the majority of grocery budget for 5 people there. 

[JC]

Or this... Replace Park Slope with Murray Hill--voila!

http://www.foodcoop.com/go.php?id=32

About the Coop

The Park Slope Food Coop, located in the heart of the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York, was founded in 1973 by a small group of committed neighbors who wanted to make healthy, affordable food available to everyone who wanted it. PSFC has more than 15,500 members, most of whom work once every four weeks in exchange for a 20-40% savings on groceries. Only members may shop at the PSFC, and membership is open to all.

The Coop carries a wide variety of products, including local, organic and conventionally grown produce; pasture-raised and grass-fed meat; free-range, organic and kosher poultry; fair-traded chocolate and coffee; wild and sustainably farmed fish; supplements and vitamins; imported and artisan cheese; freshly baked bread; bulk grains and spices; environmentally safe cleaning supplies, and much more. All of this, plus a large selection of standard supermarket items, makes the Coop a one-stop shopping destination. Sales are brisk at the PSFC and our inventory is replenished more than once every week, ensuring that the products we sell are as fresh as possible.

As a member of the Coop you share ownership of the Coop with 16,000+ fellow Coop members. You have a voice in the decision-making process and can participate in planning and discussions of the organization's future. Work, shop, learn, participate—be a part of a unique and rewarding community here in Brooklyn.

Would you like to know where your fruits and vegetables come from and how they are grown?

Would you like to buy nutritious food for much less than you're spending now?

Would you like access to foods from all over the world?

How would you like cooking classes where you can learn how to prepare these foods?

Would you like to learn about and participate in the growth and direction of this dynamic organization?

As a member of the Park Slope Food Coop, you'll be able to do all this and more.

[JC]

A few other cool ideas for a neighborhood grocery would be..

A Kick Starter:  The owners of Community Loaves had a very successful Kick Starter campaign to replace their oven.  My family participated.  The smart thing they did was to sell bread and other services.  This could also work for a grocery store, sell a grocery budget and give those individuals a discount and maybe a grand opening party.

An inventory app:  Have an app that has an up to date inventory of the stores stock.  Include a grocery list utility with that inventory so we can plan our shopping and know what's there.  The app could organize your items by aisle and guide you while shopping.

Delivery:  Have a small delivery radius so people can order last minute items for a convenience fee.  The radius would be small so the deliveries would be made by bicycle.

DO NOT DO SELF CHECKOUT:  Employ only people from the neighborhood who can walk or bike to work.  There are a bunch of teenagers who live in the neighborhood that would love to have a job close to home bagging groceries or checking customers out.

Partner with RAM vendors:  They could have an appropriately sized section to sell their items throughout the week. 

Neighborhood discount or membership and discount with verified address.

[ProjectMaximus]

JC, I really love your thoughts and insight!! You have no idea how much I've hoped for an urban grocery for Murray Hill and Springfield/Downtown. I even thought about trying to do it in San Marco and to hell with the Publix project that's taking so long.

But ultimately all my research led me to decide it was beyond my ability/expertise. The grocery game seems to be played with razor-thin margins and an amateur could lose big time lol. Urban groceries often seem to need subsidies even for the experienced players.

If someone else is interested in doing this though, I'd love to hear more!!! Coops are an option as you said, as are CSAs. Have you heard of Farmigo? Or city sprout?
http://fortune.com/2014/08/04/can-this-startup-kill-off-the-supermarket/
http://wellandgood.com/2012/08/13/a-tech-start-up-brings-farm-fresh-produce-to-your-block/

I've tried to track down Julie from the "Julie's Urban Grocery" concept and I've attempted to reach out to a bunch of the smaller footprint grocery chains sweeping the country, but so far to no avail.

[ProjectMaximus]

Chipotle.

We're on board. Dont get your hopes up but we'll see if they have any interest. 

[ProjectMaximus]

Thanks for sharing, boldboy. I really hope all of those concepts come to reality in MH, and I hope we can add to some of that vision.

[ANGLOMAX]

My family and I live on Trask St about two blocks from Edgewood. 

One of the most annoying things in my opinion is getting in my car to drive to a grocery store.  Publix in Riverside is horrible, parking is a nightmare and the store has a crazy layout.  Publix on Roosevelt also suffers from parking problems.  This is a very walkable neighborhood and there are how many residents in the Florida Christian Apts?  That is why I think the building would be perfect for a smallish neighborhood grocery store.  Carry the staples but also some specialty stuff, resell bread from Knead and Community Loaves to expose others to their products.  This neighborhood has the population density to support such a store, especially with all the folks in the apartments.  Gourmet whatever and boutique shmoutiques are a silly idea because they are not what everyone needs.  Everyone needs a grocery store within walking distance it ties a neighborhood together.  When I lived in The Bronx our corner store made some serious money off neighborhood people that WALKED or BIKED to the store, and it was a huge convenience.  If there was an affordable neighborhood grocery store I would spend the majority of grocery budget for 5 people there.

I would love for this side of town to have a Trader Joe's. Bring one to Murray Hill.

[UNFurbanist]

So I was in Chattanooga recently and I went to this bar that I thought was freaking awesome! It's called Southside Social and I think with the space you have here maybe you could bring something like this to the area? Or maybe it would be better suited for an area of downtown/Brooklyn but someone needs to do something like this in Jax!
http://thesouthsidesocial.com

[benfranklinbof]

I'm going to that bar next week, I can't wait!

[ProjectMaximus]

So I was in Chattanooga recently and I went to this bar that I thought was freaking awesome! It's called Southside Social and I think with the space you have here maybe you could bring something like this to the area? Or maybe it would be better suited for an area of downtown/Brooklyn but someone needs to do something like this in Jax!
http://thesouthsidesocial.com

That looks great. Well, we need someone to do it and we'll work with them. I can't actually do it myself. Been trying, reaching out to a lot of folks who might have the means and interest. It's definitely harder than I thought it would be.

[UNFurbanist]

No doubt it's not easy. But nothing worth doing is right? Keep up the good work and just get creative with it!