Trader Joes

[Gators312]

Good for Gainesville.  Unfortunately I'm not down there as much as I used to be, but I'll have to make a trip down one weekend to stock up. It is a shame that the store isn't closer to campus.  There is plenty of infill going in along University and 2nd between DT and campus that should have gotten this instead of Butler Plaza.  For those that don't know, Butler Plaza is 3 adjacent stip malls that make a 1 mile stretch of parking lots.  It's very Beach blvd-esque and a horrible black mark on the city.

I think the Butler choice was to give TJ's a larger shopper base.   I'm sure the proximity to Haile Plantation and other developments West of 75 between Gainesville and Archer/Newberry was a major consideration. 

[peestandingup]

Not sure if it was mentioned, but Tallahassee as well. http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Trader-Joes-to-Open-in-Tallahassee-168934256.html

[duvaldude08]

So I have an question and someone please provide an intelligent answer. Why is the Jacksonville market overlook so much for smaller markets that surround us? That is troubling to me? Hell tiny as gainesville is they even have a Macy and a Trader Joe's. There must be a reason that people are staying away from our market. Thoughts?

[fsujax]

I wouldnt worry about the whole Macy's thing. It is an old Burdines store and not even worthy of being called Macy's, same with the one in Tallahassee and Daytona Beach. Tally is also getting a Bass Pro Shop, only because the city is basically paying them to open in a defunt outdoor store (cant remember the name) location.

[Captain Zissou]

Good for Gainesville.  Unfortunately I'm not down there as much as I used to be, but I'll have to make a trip down one weekend to stock up. It is a shame that the store isn't closer to campus.  There is plenty of infill going in along University and 2nd between DT and campus that should have gotten this instead of Butler Plaza.  For those that don't know, Butler Plaza is 3 adjacent stip malls that make a 1 mile stretch of parking lots.  It's very Beach blvd-esque and a horrible black mark on the city.

I think the Butler choice was to give TJ's a larger shopper base.   I'm sure the proximity to Haile Plantation and other developments West of 75 between Gainesville and Archer/Newberry was a major consideration. 

I am sure that is what they were going for.  I just associate the things TJ stands for with smart design/planning, so I'd like to see them closer to DT and campus.  Haile will make up a large portion of their customer base.  My assumption is also that they wanted to stay away from the 43rd and 16th area where Fresh Market is located.

G-ville's Macy's is terrible

[Gators312]

So I have an question and someone please provide an intelligent answer. Why is the Jacksonville market overlook so much for smaller markets that surround us? That is troubling to me? Hell tiny as gainesville is they even have a Macy and a Trader Joe's. There must be a reason that people are staying away from our market. Thoughts?

If I have to take a guess based on the upcoming locations I would think a higher percentage of residents with higher education per capita?

Most on the upcoming lists are college towns, or very large cities that already have a TJs in the area. 

[duvaldude08]

I wouldnt worry about the whole Macy's thing. It is an old Burdines store and not even worthy of being called Macy's, same with the one in Tallahassee and Daytona Beach. Tally is also getting a Bass Pro Shop, only because the city is basically paying them to open in a defunt outdoor store (cant remember the name) location.

Ahhhh I forgot about the Burdines turned Macy's.

[Wacca Pilatka]

The main reason Jax doesn't have Macy's is that Burdine's never got in here.  It was a Cohen's and Ivey's dominated market, as Lake's book describes in detail.  Then when Dillard's consumed Gayfer's (Cohen's successor) after having already devoured Ivey's, it needed to divest itself of extraneous stores, and Burdine's was interested...but Dillard's sold to Belk instead, possibly because it was Belk as a weaker competitor.

TJ's does tend to target college towns, but the one here in Newport News, VA is very successful, and one can't make the argument that "TJ's doesn't go to Jacksonville because it's not big or educated enough" when they're happily doing business in a smaller, demographically similar, probably less wealthy and educated, non-college-dominated city like this one.

Isn't Nordstrom coming to SJTC?  That certainly hits all the upscale notes.

[tufsu1]

I just associate the things TJ stands for with smart design/planning, so I'd like to see them closer to DT and campus.

sadly, that's not really the case...lately, they've been opening stores in strip shopping centers with low rents

[funwithteeth]

I've only been to the TJ in Atlanta. In terms of look and layout, it was a smaller, crowded version of an average suburban supermarket. I wasn't impressed by the selection/prices, either. If I'm gonna pay more than what I would at Publix, I'd rather go to Whole Foods.

[thelakelander]

I wouldnt worry about the whole Macy's thing. It is an old Burdines store and not even worthy of being called Macy's, same with the one in Tallahassee and Daytona Beach. Tally is also getting a Bass Pro Shop, only because the city is basically paying them to open in a defunt outdoor store (cant remember the name) location.

Ahhhh I forgot about the Burdines turned Macy's.

I believe it was a Maas Brothers before it was a Burdines.  A lot of merging took place in the late 1980s/early 90s.

[gchasse]

I was at the Gainesville store yesterday and asked one of the employees about expansion, and specifically to Jacksonville.  He said Miamia area, Tallahassee, and Orlando are next.  Jacksonville on the horizon next year.  He did say they are expansion in Florida will continue.

Hopefully he is right.

[I-10east]

Trader Joe's kinda have that feel of Whole Foods (organic foods, caters to yuppies etc) meets Save-A-Lot (store layout, laid back with music, generic/store branded items) two very contrasting supermarkets.

[tufsu1]

I was at the Gainesville store yesterday and asked one of the employees about expansion, and specifically to Jacksonville.  He said Miamia area, Tallahassee, and Orlando are next.  Jacksonville on the horizon next year.  He did say they are expansion in Florida will continue.

correct...expansion in the 3 cities above is already underway....and recent semi-announcement about stores in Tampa too

[fsquid]

when it comes ill be poorer due to the wife.