The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
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Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
I'd love to see a Whole Foods anywhere in Worcester. I don't know where the right place is for one though. Usually in cities they end up in areas where the neighborhood has demand for a Whole Foods. What also is interesting though is the complete opposite where a Whole Foods moves in and creates demand for the neighborhood. Usually you see this happen in the more walkable urban neighborhoods. Here is a cool article from a couple years ago published in the Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/21/AR2006072101582_pf.html
Personally I would love to see one in the Canal District or Downtown. Maybe one on Green across from Block 5? Hmmm?
It's too bad that the Super 88 didn't end up opening Downtown. That would've been the best.
I was all pissed off at Shaw's when they opened that location and didn't even last a year there as I would think that a company like Shaw's would know better and would have been able to see that coming. Now we have a nice future urban ruin down there on Grafton St.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
there wont be a whole foods there becasuse the neighborhood there sucks. if shaws cant make, whole foods aint.
(i love using aint)
i read somewhere that Govt funding got that place up. some sorta local job provider funding to "stimulate" the neighborhood...
as soon as they met the quota, shaw's pulled out because there wasnt enough business.
meow.
"what?"
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
I'm holding out for a Trader Joe's in Sturbridge, but Whole Foods would work quite nicely there too! (Right now we drive to Hadley for TJ's or WF).
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Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Whole Foods? I'm sorry. This is Worcester, lower Grafton Street to boot. I don't see a lot of people rolling out of the Diamond to buy wild salmon and fresh tapanade. There'll be a Price Rite (which serves a purpose in that area), or a warehouse terminal. Whole Foods, if it ever appears in an 016 or 015 zip will show up in Westboro or Northboro, my guess that half-developed property at 20 and 9. Parking, location and demographics trump all.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
I dream too of a Whole Foods in the area..Since Whole Foods now owns Wild OAts maybe put one of them in Worcester... Smaller but serve the people in the city that would love more of a selection than Living Earth (no disrespect to them) Wild Oats was my favorite store when I lived in Colorado and they put them in some shaddy areas, even though the best one was in Boulder off of Pearl...
But we need something I hate driving to Shrewsbury ( I know so far away but rt 9 sucks) or the random once in a blue moon trips to Framingham or Bellingham...
Bring on better stores!!!!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
They should tear it down, build an urban style whole foods and an entire dense mixed use urban neighborhood. It would mesh together with rehabbed buildings in the area beside/behind the new firehouse. Smart growth/transit oriented development...all walking distance to the train station and Water/Green Sts and Shrewsbury St.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Chris for city council!!!!!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
the problem is "they" would only do such a thing if there was money in it... no money... no one do.
that said... the sox should put the new fenway there
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
The new fenway! Bwhahahaha!
I disagree about it being a bad location for something like a Whole Foods. Currently people drive in upwards of an hour to get their organic on. Although we have Living Earth and Trader Joes, they are much smaller and simply cannot meet the same demand. I think adding a whole foods/gym/earthy crunchy wahtever would revamp that entire neighborhood. The highway is right there and it's very close to downtown to get the work crowds in. I'm sure we'll build something equally retarded as that Shaws though. Pfffft.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
the vacant shaws on grafton street is an eye sore..I have driven by there and there have been people just parked in their doing whatever they do..sleeping, reading, doing nothing at all..etc.
..but the bigger eye sore is the empty Big D parking lot on MILL street.
That has been there for 5-6 years now and is a huge eye sore.....
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
whole foods will never go in there..the shaws people even said the location was economically depressed and were priced out of the market.......my question is, where the heck to poor people shop then to get their food....
...oh wait, (light bulb)......the store across from Elm Park.....Shop and Drop or something.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Ok so my point is we need a whole foods... I need it! Ha! I don't see why it would not work, it's close enough to everything, I think Shaws failed because there are so many in better locations but the fact is people will drive to a whole foods. Anyway, I drove by there yesterday and its getting worse the longer it's left vacant and on the market. Such a shame.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
We have the Bunny in Southbridge it's very dreary inside but man or man are the prices great. And they have a butcher and a seafood section. Oh and I can buy my wine there as well. One stop shopping is key!!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Are you talking about this place?
I've never been in there, but I fell in love with the sign. We had to stop and take a picture.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Love the Bunny! It may not be upscale, bright n' cheery, but the prices are great and they are not a chain and give back a LOT to the local community (mostly Southbridge). Of course, I'm lucky enough to drive by it on my way home from work, but I'm so glad I do!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
I think that if Whole Foods ever decided to come into Worcester the city would be squandering a tremendous opportunity not trying to steer them into a neighborhood that is or has the potential to be a densely populated center of activity, which is why I thought Chris' idea of building an entire dense urban development around it was so awesome.
Just locating it in that building it does nothing for the type of vibrant foot traffic the city so desperately needs to make it feel like a real city. Having a Whole Foods in a strip mall type building just makes Worcester feel like more of a big town. Like Pete said, no one is strolling out of the Diamond and going to the Whole Foods. Someone may stroll out of the Dive or Block 5 though.
It would be sweet to be able to shop at a Whole Foods and I would shop there too but the Grafton St location wouldn't do much to improve the neighborhood. I don't think. Just my 304 cents.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
i think that development was terrible for that area...i want to call it the meat packing district because i think thats what was what that area was all about... the core is still intact and there are condos and offices coming online ther soon. that space is a wide open palate for a creative development company to work with. New urbanism is whats needed.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Yup that's the one. I love the sign also!!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Turn the entire building in to one gigantic ball pit for kids.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp131/Niqulaz/jumpyoufackersuo1.jpg
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
SOLD!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Put a Whole Foods down by Quinsig Village, visible from 146.. where that goddamn Wal-Mart was supposed to go.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Thats another area that shouldve been dense and mixed use...a sprawling wal mart adjacent to the new Worcester to Providence bike path...fucking brilliant
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
With a whole foods and a brewery..maybe it could be called "Blackstone Aleworks"
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Is hubbardston closer/better? I've never been to that one, I go to Framingham every couple weeks. My favorite is the downtown crossing Whole Foods, but I'm not in Boston enough to take advantage anymore.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Whole foods is having some amazing sales lately. We go to the one in Bellingham and the prices have been super good. People who swore they would never shop at Wal-Mart are doing just that! You people getting crunched by high gas prices, silly mortgages and unemployment are contributing to my saving some good loot. Thanks to you all!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Quan Yin does alright on Grafton st. There are tons of small non-chain markets that offer the specialty foods you would find at Whole foods. The little asian and middle eastern markets on Main St. and the end of Pleasant street have amazing food. Im pretty sure its all Whole too.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
bring back the fair
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
I walk through that Shaws parking lot on the way to my studio. It's interesting to notice that in at least one of the front entranceways, the lights are still on. For at least a few months now.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
I heard that the building is housing a gang of art thieves who steal sculptures, make casts of them and reproduce them to sell at Pier One and Target.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
That's funny! I heard its where street vendors meet to conspire against brick-and-mortar merchants to put them out of business. Perhaps our dreams have been realized! A mixed-use property!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
I heard there were migrant workers working round the clock to vote The Luxury in to open for Coldplay!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
...I smelled burning rubber coming out of there once.
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
I smelled burning flesh coming out of there once!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
I heard there were bikers there.
OLD ones!!!
Re: The Vacant Shaws on Grafton Street
Bring back Caldor's and York's Steakhouse while you're at it.