Safeway

[from Carol Herwig]

Those frustrated with the local Safeway can get some ammunition from a story on 3A of today's (11/9) USA TODAY about the link between good full-service grocery stores in neighborhoods and improved health and nutrition.

Comments

[mjbrox]

I sent an email to Safeway and included this link.

Who knows, maybe they will listen.

[David]

If you ever been to the side of Petworth I live in--Farragut Pl NW and N Capitol., there is no decent grocer that is walking distance from where I live-the blight on the corner of New Hampshire NW and Farragut St NW doesn't count. I shouldn't have to check out a Flex Car just to have food.

[Virginia]

Hmmm..what about bringing in the mom and pops again, like a small market, a flower store, etc? I think Upshur would be the place to try the European model, places we can (aghast!?) walk to. The guy next door lived here when the trolley went up Upshur and there was a soda-shop at to top of the hill. The Post Office, library, and domku are great starts, but I free associate...

[Toby]

I have lived in this neighborhood for over 10 years and buy NOTHING around here. Groceries at that Safeway? It makes me throw up, except for an occasional half gallon of ice cream, for which I stand in line for 15 minutes. Drug stores? Hardware stores? I'll travel across town.

[Christopher]

It's odd to hear complaints about "urban mania" here in Petworth, which lacks the "corner store" and walkable community elements of much denser cities that I've lived in -- San Francisco, Oakland, Chicago. The residents in those neighborhoods complained about overdevelopment too, but we still had plenty of quality shopping within walking distance. In part, because the residents demanded it: there was an anti-chain and support your local market mentality in San Francisco and Oakland. This was coupled with a willingness of locals to fund and open their own small markets. A large urbanized immigrant population (Koreans in Oakland) is also a big help. I'm not sure what the tipping point for Petworth will be, but we can't wait around for Safeway or large multinational grocers to fix our problems.

[Wanda Wheeler]

Please forgive my ignorance but how can we make progress in a timely way on the Petworth stretch of the GA Ave corridor. I am aware of some the intiatives that are underway but the movement appears to be on the slow side.

As a former Cap Hill resident, I have seen steady growth to both 8th Street SE/Barracks Row and the H Street Corridor. Can we take a lesson from these projects?

[Amy C]

I would LOVE to see a Wegman's supermarket! It is hands down the best supermarket chain. It has Whole Foods quality without those prices!

[Kevin Morton]

I was at the Safeway last night getting my boy, Jack, some of those rawhide squares. He just loves them, but I am starting to wonder just how many calories are in those things. Jack has been getting a bit husky (not the breed, the build) recently. So, back to my point...I overheard a woman asking an employee if they had a particular brand of an item. The employee's very honest response was that the Petworth location gets the leftovers from deliveries to other Safeway store. For what ever reason, the brand she wanted rarely makes it to Petworth. Thankfully, people at other Safeway locations aren't buying up all the rawhide squares.

[Joseph Martin]

Don't know if the Petworth Safeway does this, but some Safeways and Giant do carry organic meats and produce. Market forces and competition can work wonders.

[Joseph Martin]

I agree with Tim's sentiments. Makes it all the more painful for me when I see people who live in my immediate neighborhood, people I know don't have hell of a lot of money, shopping at Whole Foods. I've experienced this many, many times. Each episode speaks volumes for what's lacking here.

The challenge will be to attract merchants and restauranteurs who can offer quality goods at affordable prices.

Check out Busboys and Poets and any of Andy Shallal's other restaurants (Luna Grille, Cafe Luna, Skewers), and you'll see it's possible to offer quality restaurants at reasonable prices.

I asked Andy Shallal how he does it. He replied some to the effect, "I'm not getting rich. I'm rather have more people coming in, enjoying themselves and feeling they got a good deal. I know they'll keep coming back in droves if I can accomplish that. You put your prices at a certain level or don't offer people good value, and you lose customers. Who wants that?"

Safeway can do better. Its offerings are so limited compared to even my old Safeway, the "Soviet Safeway" on 17th at Corcoran. Long lines. Empty shelves. There is no excuse for the Petworth Safeway's having out-of-date stock on the shelves. That shows an arrogant disregard for the neighborhood.

Check out the Safeways in Chevy Chase DC or Georgetown, and compare them to the Petworth Safeway.

Safeway is obviously a business. With the competition from Giant, we're bound to start seeing some improvements. When Whole Foods opened up on P Street, I and others experienced favorable changes at the Soviet Safeway.

It will happen here, too, if we push the Safeway in the right direction.

[Tim]

One thing that I find very interesting is the idea that Whole Foods is a viable alternative to an everyday run of the mill grocery store...yeah, if you're Donald Trump! That place is so ludicrously expensive - it's an insult to ones intelligence. OK, charge double for organic produce but the mark up on their other "commercial" produce (the same apples and pears and lettuce you get at Safeway or Giant) is just incredible. Trying to feed a family from the selection at Whole Foods would put you in the poorhouse. I for one am glad that we don't have a white elephant food store in Petworth, taking up valuable commercial space that could be better served by containing other essential services, like drugstores, small hardware store, a good thrift store, etc. For those with children and a tight food budget, the new Giant on Park Rd. has been a welcomed addition, especially in comparison to the Petworth Safeway. Is it "perfect", hell no, but you can get some good produce, decent meats and standard grocery items - plus they carry beer and wine. They do seem to have a problem with keeping stuff in stock but hopefully they are starting to get some idea of what they need to keep on order. I think that it would be nice if there were more actual small groceries available (like Super Save in Mt. P.) as opposed to, what are essentially Lotto shops, but there just isn't enough money in it. And anyway, there is no way they are gonna carry organic arugula, farm raised chickens and chilled bottles of a lovely French sauvignon blanc.

[Erin]

What I would like to see in Petworth is a range of shops (bakery, coffee shop, florist, smallish supermarket like Rodmans or Yes and unlike the CH Giant, etc.) that one could easily stop in to on the way home from the metro. It would also be great to have a variety of some sit down restaurants around. I think this would enhance and bring together our neighborhood without detracting from the general peace and quiet. It's fine to drive to certain things but a drag to have to drive to everything, which is our current situation.

More frequent bus service (e.g.; 64, H8) would also help the metro feel like a better option for "off peak" activities outside of standard commuting days and times.

[Adam]

Restoring corner stores throughout Petworth and the shops along GA Ave. is a fine thing. Shopping locally is one way to encourage that growth.

I guess I was confused by what Mr. Martin originally wrote. I thought he wrote Petworth was underserved because area residents had to drive two miles to shop at Whole Foods. That would be silly, of course. I must have misunderstood.

[Bill]

Hope I was clear before: while it's nice that Petworth is a ten-minute drive from most points on the DC map, that doesn't make it ok that there's not yet much to walk to around here. I'm looking forward to the positive changes in that regard over the coming few years.

[Kevin Morton]

I am leaving work for he day, otherwise I'd share one of my Maine childhood stories about shopping at the corner store with you. I know how people on this blog do so look forward to my childhood reminisces.

Have a great weekend.

[evc]

It would be nice to have something like a fruit market in walking distance - a bakery, a flower shop, coffee shop, a newstand, -- I don't think any of these would add to a "downtown" feel.

[Arland Hunt]

"Urban mania!"

I guess that's what I feel when in the isle of Manhattan!

Let's all wish Divine a Happy 60th Birthday!

http://www.dreamlandnews.com/

[Joseph Martin]

I would like to associate myself with the remarks of the Maine-born gentleman from New Hampshire Avenue.

I am reminded of many conversations with the seniors who talked about buying quality produce and meats on the 200 block of Upshur in another era. Somehow I think wanting a convenience like that is not asking for downtown development...

[Kevin Morton]

I thinks it's silly to say that Petworth isn't underserved. Petworth is a relatively dense, close-in neighborhood that can support basic services for its resident. To say a business is just a ten minute drive away doesn't cut it. Also, not everyone in the neighborhood has access to a car. I find it interesting that one of the individuals on this blog reeling of short driving times to various business was not long ago complaining about the location of the zip car spots on Upshur. Seems to me that if you are going to condemn residents to driving to other neighborhoods to shop, you should at least allow them ready access to transportation alternatives. Not every household in the neighborhood has two cars at its disposal.

[AJS]

Joe's right. If the existing low-rise commercial corridors in Petworth are restored, we will all be better off in terms of ability to shop for amenities, without having to suffer like those in parts of CH will be suffering in a couple of years.

[Joseph Martin]

Adam,

You're forgetting zoning laws. Petworth will always be more of a bedroom community, but Georgia Avenue doesn't even function the way it once did before Petworth streets became slaughter alleys years ago. Wanting neighborhood amenities where they once were and now persist as boarded-up shops is not asking for downtown-scale development. We will never be downtown. We will never be the Upper West Side. The scale simply isn't there and won't be. But there will be more amenities on Georgia Avenue in the coming years, and that's a good thing.

The "10 minutes-to" comments are all about driving. What's wrong with wanting more within walking distance? The infrastructure is already in place in a lot of cases, it's just under-utilized because of past crime problems.

It's not an either-or situation. There is a balance which, I believe, we will see unfold.

[Bill]

I agree the CH Giant is not great, but more because they seem to have tons of stuff but, paradoxically, little selection. Lots and lots of a few things, usually on the mundane end of the spectrum. Before they opened it looked like they might be trying to pass as a quasi- Whole Foods, they certainly failed if that's the case. Although I should say I haven't really had problems with the service. To me it just feels like a big, clean, average supermarket.

[Dan]

Has anyone visited the CH Giant? Wow, it was terrible in my opinion. Maybe they are just working out the kinks of being a new grocery, but I waited in line with 4 items one night for about 25 minutes. Their shelves weren't even that stocked. Furthermore, that parking garage is a show. I'm all for improving the Petworth Safeway, but don't use CH as a model.

[mjbrox]

True, but I would like to see the exisiting places be allot nicer.

For example, 200 block of Upshure

[AJS]

I agree with Bill and Adam that Petworth (hopefully) will remain a quieter "bedroom" neighborhood in DC.

In a year or two, watch people starting to leave the 14th St. area of CH when traffic and noise on that road and its tributaries become unbearable.