Continuing The Discussion on Trader Joe's

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Sometime last week there was brief mention of desire (which I'm sure most of us share) for a Trader Joe's in Davis. Someone here, and I don't remember who, had information on that and said that Trader Joe's rejected Davis as a location because of the lack of parking. I've been thinking about that, and I'm wondering if that person, or anyone, has more information on how the company was approached or how they arrived at their decision.

If it's strictly a parking matter, one need only look at the Boylston Street store to know it can and does succeed with minimal-to-no parking.

Joe's has parking-lotted stores in Cambridge and Arlington. Yet they have not one store in Manhattan. Are they really that afraid of areas with low cars-to-residents ratios? Could it be that when they were asked about a Davis location, they simply didn't know the demographics of this neighborhood and presumed there would be no support or interest? A Davis location would be a goldmine for them, we all know that. But it would appear they don't.

So my questions:

Is there an appropriately sized space for them available? Who owns it?

We know the pros, but would there be any cons to their being here?

And, could an online petition with several thousand signatures from ethusiastic area residents who would be regular customers have enough positive influence to make them think again?

Curious for your thoughts...

Comments

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I mentioned on the previous post that the proximity of the Cambridge and Arlington locations may be a con for them. Even for people without cars they are relatively accessible, and they're extremely convenient for people-of-car. They may not want to undercut those locations (for all I know those locations can't afford to be undercut), and they may see a Davis Square location as unlikely to get enough people when there are already Cambridge and Arlington locations. Even though you may know lots of people who would appreciate the convenience...profit margins in the grocery business are incredibly thin, like 3% or something, and it is insanely easy for groceries to go out of business. Even a relatively small overlap among the Cambridge, Arlington, and hypothetical Somerville locations might torpedo all three. Add into that the extremely nearby Porter Square Star, which is definitely not the same kind of store as Trader Joe's but can pretty easily accomodate someone's grocery needs...*and* MacKinnon's *and* a farmer's market half the year *and* convenience stores...

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I can see that. I never go to the Cambridge or Arlington stores, though. I use the one on Boylston since I work down there. I forgot about McKinnon's, since I never go there either. I know some people really value it and wouldn't want to see anything happen to it.

[mrcairo.livejournal.com]

and yet cambridge seems to support THREE Whole Foods markets, 3+ Star Markets (or shaws,
or whatever they are today), a Trader Joes, and a few other markets.

I know that I'm annoyed that I have to go to cambridge to get my groceries.

[ron_newman]

Cambridge has lots of supermarkets, but so does Somerville. They just aren't in and around Davis Square: Stop & Shop in East Somerville; 3 Star/Shaw's (Twin City Plaza, Winter Hill, Beacon Street); Demoulas Market Basket on Somerville Avenue; 2 Johnnie's Foodmasters (Beacon Street, Clarendon Hill). Also, Wild Oats is just across the line into Medford on Route 16.

Many market-less people in other neighborhoods like Uphams Corner and Fields Corner would envy either of our cities.