The Park View Pavilion Coming Soon

[PeeJayEss]

I wanted to go after them for a location in Springfield....but......

but...they are already planning to come to town? It appears so on their website.

[CityLife]

I wanted to go after them for a location in Springfield....but......

but...they are already planning to come to town? It appears so on their website.

I was talking about a year and a half ago...

[uptowngirl]

LOL, I never said anyone was paying with foodstamps. Usually it is the customer using cash. I mean you should be able to run through some basic numbers in your head and know generally if you are even close...seems like some have a vision of the customer using foodstamps that is not too accurate.

Lake you are correct, I have no issue with a Walgreens or CVS (I do like CVS better), just the maintenance and upkeep/security of one in that location. As we are all aware we have quite a homeless issue in that area, and I can see issues here if not managed correctly.

[tufsu1]

I am sure they would look at their market area as more than 32202. I think Stephen has a good point.

When retailers and grocers look at locations, they put a 5 and 10 mile radius around the location and look at the demographics inside.

Retailers like Trader Joe's and Whole Food's are looking for upper middle class incomes and up for their demographics. From their standpoint (not mine) it makes no sense to open a location in DT, because all of the demographics north of DT (save portions of Springfield) are not even close to what they are looking for.

If they were to put their little bubble in San Marco or the Southbank they would hit, San Marco, St. Nicholas, Miramar, Epping Forest, San Jose, Riverside, Avondale, parts of Ortega, DT, and Springfield.

correct!

[CityLife]

We need a Trader Joe or Whole Food Market here more often. Publix and Winn-Dixie has dominantly inflated the local market to the point that it is much expensive here as it is in California or New York where the living standards are higher and cost more than here in Jacksonville.

-Josh

I know first hand that a powerful entity is working to bring a viable competitor to Jacksonville/Florida to combat Publix.

It isn't Trader Joe's though.

Best of luck but they will go the way of Albertson's and Harris Teeter. Not only did they pack up and leave but Publix bought alot of their old locations.

Not quite though. This is a better grocer than either of those two and said powerful entity can definitely make things happen.

Not saying it will come to fruition, but it is being explored.

[copperfiend]

We need a Trader Joe or Whole Food Market here more often. Publix and Winn-Dixie has dominantly inflated the local market to the point that it is much expensive here as it is in California or New York where the living standards are higher and cost more than here in Jacksonville.

-Josh

I know first hand that a powerful entity is working to bring a viable competitor to Jacksonville/Florida to combat Publix.

It isn't Trader Joe's though.

Best of luck but they will go the way of Albertson's and Harris Teeter. Not only did they pack up and leave but Publix bought alot of their old locations.

Not quite though. This is a better grocer than either of those two and said powerful entity can definitely make things happen.

Not saying it will come to fruition, but it is being explored.

The only possible chain would be Kroger. Publix recently passed them as the number one grocery retailer in the Atlanta area. I wouldn't think Kroger would be in a big sweat to move to Florida, which is like Publix mob territory.

[Ocklawaha]

Just wondering out loud... what would a green transit way, with streetcar in a park like setting do for that area, if the old F & J was converted from Beaver to 21st and on to Gateway?

I've been to the Walgreen's exactly once, and got harassed going in and out, then watched said strung-out female dart off into 8Th street towards Mickey D's with a manager yelling after her. Great entertainment really.

OCKLAWAHA

[wsansewjs]

Have you ever lived in New York?

Haha no, but I have visited there plenty of time, have good friends who live there, etc. There are more activities, more options, more things in New York especially New York City than Jacksonville.

-Josh

Yeah and it's hella more expensive to go grocery shopping in NY than it is at Publix or Winn Dixie.

My point is that the cost of living here in Jacksonville is cheaper than in New York City, BUT the grocery like Publix and Jacksonville is too expensive for our cost of living here overall. In other words, why not bring in a competitor that has a large foot in the market that has higher cost standard, but get better products / services than the two primary ones (Winn-Dixie and Publix). That would push them around and teach them about "virtually monopolizing" the market in prices in the area where the cost of living is low.

Ah, the beauty of competition for the consumers.

-Josh

[CityLife]

As I said Stephen, retailers and grocers use 5 and 10 mile bubbles for their demographics. They don't give a crap about Amelia Island, St. Mary's, GA, etc when it comes to opening a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's DT.

When talking about chains in Springfield and DT, they absolutely do look at the demographics and they absolutely do hold the area back.

Go ask Rich Trendel or Bill Cesery if demographics don't hold Springfield and Main Street back. They will laugh in your face.

However, the demographics are far from the only thing holding Main Street back. Hionedes has no desire to do anything to make a market (I learned this first hand), and SPAR's Commercial Revitalization efforts are downright pathetic (the reason why I left my job there)

[billy]

You would think a Trader Joes somewhere would have made more retail sense than Whole Foods. How is the Whole Foods doing?

[chipwich]

From what I heard on the grape vine.  The Whole Foods in Mandarin is their worst performing store in the country.  I cannot verify it at this time.

That location is just terrible (access stinks). They should have opened at SJTC when they had the chance.

[CityLife]

As I said Stephen, retailers and grocers use 5 and 10 mile bubbles for their demographics. They don't give a crap about Amelia Island, St. Mary's, GA, etc when it comes to opening a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's DT.

When talking about chains in Springfield and DT, they absolutely do look at the demographics and they absolutely do hold the area back.

Go ask Rich Trendel or Bill Cesery if demographics don't hold Springfield and Main Street back. They will laugh in your face.

However, the demographics are far from the only thing holding Main Street back. Hionedes has no desire to do anything to make a market (I learned this first hand), and SPAR's Commercial Revitalization efforts are downright pathetic (the reason why I left my job there)

Well, Jeremy, Since I've done this for almost as long as youve been alive, I don't think either gentlemen would laugh in my face.

What you mean to say, although you don't have the experience to know it, is that some retailers and grocers are not compatible with the demographics of downtown, and some retailers don't give a crap about amelia island.

Obviously Walgreens must not have consulted you before they decided to open.  And since demographics werent the problem with Dunkin Donuts, they must not gave called you before they looked seriously at Richie's 2nd street location.

You know, its easy enough to google all this:  Look up 'retail industry conventions'.

Hang on to your ego.

They would laugh at the notion that the demographics of Springfield's surrounding neighborhoods don't hurt it. Not you. Don't take it personally.

We are talking about Whole Foods and Trader Joe's here. That is all. Somehow you went off on a tangent, but Trader Joe's and Whole Foods is what the discussion is about.

I hope you realize that Walgreens and Whole Foods/Trader Joe's don't have the same demographic standards. That is what the discussion is about.

I wouldn't need to google retail industry conventions. I've been to ICSC in Orlando. Maybe we can carpool to the next one?

[vicupstate]

The sooner the thoughts of getting national retailers (other than a drugstore) in either DT or Springfield are forgotten, the sooner a real revitilization can begin.

Only after a respectable number of locally owned businesses have found success, will you see any GENUINE interest by the nationals.  

If Borders was truly interested in Springfield, that goes a long way toward explaining why they are in bankruptcy.

LaCena, Chamblins and the like are the future of DT Jax, not Publix, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.  

The sooner that is realized, the better.  

DT has a very long way to go before national chain stores will be interested.   The only reason drugstores are the exception is 1) Shands=Hospital Walgreens/CVS=pharmacy and 2) high traffic counts on State/Union with no competition nearby.     

[copperfiend]

From what I heard on the grape vine.  The Whole Foods in Mandarin is their worst performing store in the country.  I cannot verify it at this time.

That location is just terrible (access stinks). They should have opened at SJTC when they had the chance.

I can't say for sure it is their worst performing store but it definitely is performing poorly. I started a thread on here some time ago about how poorly it has done. They have had to toss alot of product because they can't sell by the expiration date. There have been times they have had empty shelves because they are not restocking their inventory. They have also cut back on alot of ready to eat items because of poor sales. It is a shame because I love Whole Foods. But I agree the location is awful.

[thelakelander]

+1, Vic.