The Casco | 201 Federal Street | Portland

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Another brick in the wall!
 
Have you talked with Hannaford? A lot of other grocery chains are starting up smaller-format stores in downtown areas; it would also be a convenient pick-up site for downtown residents and office workers using their Hannaford-to-Go service. I'm pretty sure Hannaford is already the grocery distributor for Bow Street.

Hannaford also owns a lot of vacant land all over the region that's ripe for housing development (like this big empty field in Riverton), so even if they don't want to open a store here it might be a good relationship...
 
I doubt Hannaford would do anything that would compete with its own Bayside/Forest Ave location. It's already competing against Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

We're looking at a Rosemont, Fresh Approach, Miccuci, Peace Food Market, Mellen St Market, Browne Trading, etc. Unless there's something from the Public Market you can steal.

Not to poo-poo the Market idea but ...

The more I look at the Portland Peninsula, there are tons of little variety stores (not convenience store gas stations) and pharmacies. Maybe it's just over-saturated and not needed like we think.

The people I know who live right in town (Monument Square, Bayside, East End, West End) just walk to Rosemont, Co-Op, Public Market, or other places. They find what they need.

If the business market is changing, more people work flexible schedules between office and home, and new businesses are being built toward India Street ... then why are we trying to fill a space to appease the convenience of day workers?

Build a Wine Bar, replace Grace, a place people can go before a show at Merrill or PHOM.
 
cneal said:
Have you talked with Hannaford? A lot of other grocery chains are starting up smaller-format stores in downtown areas; it would also be a convenient pick-up site for downtown residents and office workers using their Hannaford-to-Go service. I'm pretty sure Hannaford is already the grocery distributor for Bow Street.

Hannaford also owns a lot of vacant land all over the region that's ripe for housing development (like this big empty field in Riverton), so even if they don't want to open a store here it might be a good relationship...
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All good points! We have a meeting on Feb 9th with another idea....going to gauge that one and then might head in this direction. Thank you! ~ C
 
Redfern said:
Heard back from Bow Street - they currently have other things going on so not 100% no but not promising. Keep the ideas coming! ~ C
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My son lives in the Brush Park area of the Motor City. Down the street from his apartment is a Bodega/Market. It’s a very popular place amongst the many apartment complexes in the area.48B81586-D683-454F-BEFF-C51D0CFDA711.jpeg662759FF-F41E-401A-B1B1-526D4706A2A4.jpegBBBDC502-D1FB-46E7-A8C6-90B09B18E7E1.jpeg77D3BE9B-03E2-4099-93A2-7BE76DF33DE6.jpegC164F167-A34F-444D-8C1D-7FF600FED0A2.jpeg1D00145A-E5DE-481F-AEEE-2B972F9CC97F.jpeg
 
I have a condo at 25 High Street. We were hoping a market would go into the retail space on the ground floor, but the lack of a loading dock was cited as an impediment. Now it's a golf bar and a bridal shop. And the retail space at Hobson's Landing is a dentist's office and a real estate office (I think). That does nothing for locals.

There is very little around here for markets, and they keep adding more housing. I end up walking up to Joe's for stuff like half-and-half, or over to Fresh Approach.
 
From this site:
  • Food Co-Op is 0.3 miles
  • CVS is 0.3 Miles
  • Browne Trading 0.3 miles
  • Micucci is 0.5 miles
  • Dyer's is 0.4 miles
  • Plus Peace and Moriah for Halal and other options
Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Hannaford, Rosemont, and others aren't that far either.

People who will live downtown (esp without cars) expect to walk if needed. The rise of door-dash etc is also a thing, since they'll deliver some grocery items.

I think a really nice market WOULD be good in this location.

@Redfern just needs to consider if this location will be busy enough, profitable, will put a smaller shop out of business. Or if a Lunch/Dinner restaurant, bar, tapas place will be successful. If a sandwich or lunch shop will fare well since there are plenty of options in the Old Port to walk to (as I did when I worked at One Portland Square). Does Portland have the population density in this location? It likely will SOME day, but does it now? If you build it, will they come?
 
Call me crazy, but if we tout that Portland is a "walkable" city and desires to grow, we can't expect that builders will put a market close to us because it's convenient. Does that happen in Boston? NYC? Chicago?

Or will you walk the .6 Miles from High Street to Joe's, Rosemont, Fresh Approach?

Or go ahead and wait at the bus stop for that (gasp) public transportation to get you to Hannaford/Whole Foods etc and back. That's what they do in other cities. That's what I had to do in Boston if I didn't want to drive or move my car.

Is it up to @Redfern to provide a solution? Why can't those renovating the Time and Temperature building put a market in their First Floor? There used to be shops and radio stations etc way back in the day.
 
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DanielPWM19 said:
From this site:
  • Food Co-Op is 0.3 miles
  • CVS is 0.3 Miles
  • Browne Trading 0.3 miles
  • Micucci is 0.5 miles
  • Dyer's is 0.4 miles
  • Plus Peace and Moriah for Halal and other options
Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Hannaford, Rosemont, and others aren't that far either.

People who will live downtown (esp without cars) expect to walk if needed. The rise of door-dash etc is also a thing, since they'll deliver some grocery items.

I think a really nice market WOULD be good in this location.

@Redfern just needs to consider if this location will be busy enough, profitable, will put a smaller shop out of business. Or if a Lunch/Dinner restaurant, bar, tapas place will be successful. If a sandwich or lunch shop will fare well since there are plenty of options in the Old Port to walk to (as I did when I worked at One Portland Square). Does Portland have the population density in this location? It likely will SOME day, but does it now? If you build it, will they come?
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All fair points. It's not really up to us to decide the viability of what can go there but everyone we talk to keeps asking for a market on this side of Portland so that's why we are reaching out directly. I can also say that we are very committed to what I would call placemaking. Our goal is to have a space - be it a market or other spot - that fosters community and people love and we are willing to work with the right fit to make that happen. Whatever it is! ~ C
 
DanielPWM19 said:
From this site:
  • Food Co-Op is 0.3 miles
  • CVS is 0.3 Miles
  • Browne Trading 0.3 miles
  • Micucci is 0.5 miles
  • Dyer's is 0.4 miles
  • Plus Peace and Moriah for Halal and other options
Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Hannaford, Rosemont, and others aren't that far either.

People who will live downtown (esp without cars) expect to walk if needed. The rise of door-dash etc is also a thing, since they'll deliver some grocery items.

I think a really nice market WOULD be good in this location.

@Redfern just needs to consider if this location will be busy enough, profitable, will put a smaller shop out of business. Or if a Lunch/Dinner restaurant, bar, tapas place will be successful. If a sandwich or lunch shop will fare well since there are plenty of options in the Old Port to walk to (as I did when I worked at One Portland Square). Does Portland have the population density in this location? It likely will SOME day, but does it now? If you build it, will they come?
Click to expand...
Also the #8 bus goes right by this building and loops by Hannaford, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods.
 
Is Herald Square, 52 Hannover, Port Properties (Bayside), or even USM (despite having a mess hall) considering adding Markets to their buildings?

Or will students and residents just walk the 0.3 to 1 mile to Hannaford, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Co-Op?

Or take the bus, uber, ride with friends, door-dash?

Maybe when density grows around City Hall and Bayside, more little deli's and variety stores will pop up. But it's not up to the developer to decide, they just want to be profitable. The residents need to advocate for what they want too.

Pocket Park, proximity to Merrill and PHOM - sounds great for a nice place to eat and get drinks to me. But a Market would also be great for 201 Federal, T&T, and future Herald Square. But not seeing a huge need for it IMHO. A Rosemont-type seems to make the most sense to me if there is to be one.
 
Shaws used to have a store downtown on Forest Ave in the space in the residential building across from Portland Performing Arts. Shaws also has a TD Bank Garden location which is downtown.
 
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