Trader Joe’s Corollary
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 18 July 2008 — 5 comments below »
I’ve been in the new Trader Joe’s in Pinole a couple times already, and it is a beautiful store. If you have a chance, be sure to notice all of the Hercules-inspired murals on the wall. Someone really needs to take some photos. (I’ll post those as they come in.)
Although Trader Joe’s obviously will not replace your standard grocery store — say, a Safeway or Lucky — the success of Trader Joe’s in Pinole will have great effect on the future of grocery merchants in Hercules. The City is currently investigating the viability of a specialty grocer for the Penterra Poe property (now called Hercules Crossing), but the real money is on what will replace Walmart when (and if) Walmart finally leaves town.
The Parcel C site (which Walmart owns, more on that later) has the size to attract a desirable anchor tenant, whereas Hercules Crossing (formerly Penterra Poe) has the size to accommodate a much smaller convenience-type store. That is not to say a grocer that strictly sells produce would not work there; that is what the study is for.
A very popular (and sensible) choice for Parcel C would be Whole Foods. The City desperately needs an improved grocer, above and beyond what is currently provided at Lucky and the two nearby Safeways (in Rodeo and Pinole), and specifically one that will cater to the growing demographic of Hercules. An alternative to Whole Foods (which doubles as a great place for lunch) would be Nob Hill Foods or Andronico’s, in my opinion.
Rest assured, however, an alternative grocer like Trader Joe’s succeeding in Pinole will open the door for Whole Foods to make a run in Hercules. Success will breed success. If a higher-end grocer works in Pinole, a higher-end grocer will work in Hercules.
Hercules needs Trader Joe’s to flourish in Pinole. And when you do shop there — because you should — be sure to check out the Hercules-themed wall murals.
I agree completely! I think the produce, in particular, at our existing local grocery stores is really inferior – often not fresh, so therefore not healthy, and the organic produce is consistently old and not worth buying. I hope our city officials will realize all of us are quite sensitive to the planning and development of Hercules, and the most appropriate use for each site. Hearing the concerns of members of the community, such as the recent issue regarding the inappropriate use of the Civic Arts Bldg, and working together as a community will, in the end, make this a wonderful city to be proud of, and in which to live and raise our families.
While I would love to see a Whole Foods here, I don’t believe the demographics in Hercules along with the fact that most people are away working during the day will be desirable to them unless they can command freeway signage like Trade Joe’s has to lure in the significant morning and evening commuters. Because Whole Foods – aka Whole Paycheck – is so expensive (and by the way not doing so well in the economic downturn), I personally would only shop there before major holidays and/or dinner parties but not on a weekly basis. Perhaps a store that would work better would be Nugget which has many of the freshly prepared foods and produce that Whole Foods does but also carries Cheerios and Diet Coke, for example, to encourage more regular shopping trips. And it’s less expensive.
That said, I do hope the arrival of Trader Joe’s will put pressure on neighboring Safeway stores in Rodeo and Pinole and its Lucky store to radically improve. I encourage everyone entering those stores to ask the managers to do so and eventually they might get the message. I know Rossmore residents rallied together to upgrade their Safeway store and ultimately triumphed. So while we may not yet be able to support a Whole Foods, I know we can support and certainly deserve improvements in our existing ones!
A great example of the Trader Joes “halo effect” happened in SF in North Beach.
When the new Trader Joes store went in there, the nearby Safeway was completely remodeled and upgraded to stay competitive (and yes even romantic mood lighting was installed in the produce section). I hope this is what’s going to happen with our run-down Safeways in the Hercules area.
That’s great news, Mike. The state our our Safeways and Lucky is downright embarrassing. I avoid shopping at these stores (esp. Lucky) uness we’re desparate for one of the basics which is sad because I’d much prefer to give our city the tax revenue. I was hopeful that the store would be upgraded last year when Albertson’s changed ownership to SuperValu and changed over (back?) to a Lucky store.
We love Trader Joe’s! We shope there weekly if not more often. I only venture into Lucky’s or Safeway in Rodeo if it is an emergency. Both stores are dirty and smell funny, and I have not been impressed with most of the staff (some do stand out though).
I am looking forward to a Safeway revamp or a Nugget. I love Whole Foods but we could not afford to shop there on a regular basis or we would go broke!