The New Retail Thread
- Thread starter jass
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They sound very dedicated to service, image, and environment. This seems like an interesting take on the precious ground-level retail you're all always harping about. The insane contrast of having a traditional Irish pub in the lobby of One Boston Place is just crazy enough to actually work.
The made-to-order morning coffees sound great too. It shows that they are cognizant of where they are located and want to cater to the actual employees of One Boston Place, as well as those coming there from elsewhere. Respectable company, from what I've read.
The made-to-order morning coffees sound great too. It shows that they are cognizant of where they are located and want to cater to the actual employees of One Boston Place, as well as those coming there from elsewhere. Respectable company, from what I've read.
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I don't even know what's in 1-2-3 Center Plaza. I walk by it everyday, but I've never bothered to explore it.
I wasn't comparing it to anything though or saying it was the craziest thing we've ever had.
Pierce
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It has a thatched roof.
And it's owned by a dude from Tampa with an Irish last name and a much different working definition of "authentic" than the rest of us.
But hey, best of luck to him. There's plenty of room for us all in this city
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Did you look at the pictures in the article? The hut is just in a corner of the main dining space. The article is written to make it sound like they converted the entire ceiling into a thatched roof, but that's not the case.
palindrome
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On the inner courtyard by the JQA and suffolk superior courthouses, you need to go to Zo. They have the best gyros in the city. Also check out cafe latino (located inside the Plaza deli--couple shops down from Zo) which is delicious and an amazing value.
Suffolk 83
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So if you're an Irish American living in Boston you're more authentic than an Irish American in Tampa? Wait what?
Pierce
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Not really what I was saying, but I can see why you thought that. Neither are authentic. What I meant was that, to my mind at least, "authentic" is like "unique" in that it's a binary term. Something can't be "very unique", nor "kind of authentic". It either is or is not.
I don't doubt the authenticity of his Irish beers or his Irish parents, but that doesn't make his bar an "authentic" irish pub. Tampa or Boston, Liverpool or Glasgow, by definition you won't find an authentic Irish bar there. It's semantics, sure, but words are the substance everything boils down to eventually.
found5dollar
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^ what would your opinion them be on this? http://www.irishpubcompany.com/ An Irish company that builds Irish pups, then exports them all over the world? it is technically a pub built in Ireland, there for an "Authenitic Irish Pub," but in my book it is no more or less "Authentic" than the one being built downtown. I do find it an incredibly innovative way of playing on peoples preconceived notions of a place and a people, and making tons of money from it.
kz1000ps
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Whole Foods announces move to Jamaica Plain
Posted by Metro Desk January 19, 2011 10:50 AM
By Globe Staff
Upscale organic food supermarket company Whole Foods today announced it will open an outlet in the diverse Jamaica Plain neighborhood, moving into the space now used by the Hi-Lo Foods on Centre Street.
?Whole Foods Market has been keenly interested in developing a Jamaica Plain location. We are now eager to become active members of such a strong, diverse neighborhood and to open a store that is reflective of the vibrant community,? Laura Derba, Whole Foods Market North Atlantic regional president, said in a statement.
The newest location, at 415 Centre St., will be the fourth Whole Foods Market in the Boston area, the company said.
Hi-Lo has been open at the location for decades. It was known for its stock of Latin American foods.
The company, which says it is the country's leading organic and natural food supermarket, said each of its stores is designed to fit the community where it's located. The Jamaica Plain Gazette reported last week that Hi-Lo was closing after 46 years.
"In keeping with the company?s mission, Whole Foods Market plans to source a wide variety of products that meet its strict quality standards as well as the diverse needs of their shoppers," the company said in a statement.
The building will undergo several months of renovations, the company said. Once opened, it will employ about 100 people. The company said it has a long-standing history of hiring people from the community and nurturing the careers of those it hires.
Link
----
A market goes upscale, as does Jamaica Plain itself
End of an era for Latino grocery
By Meghan E. Irons
Globe Staff / January 20, 2011
For Jamaica Plain?s eclectic mix of hipsters, affluent professionals, and working-class Latinos, there has been no starker symbol of transformation in their neighborhood than the one announced yesterday: The tumble-down Latino grocery Hi-Lo Foods will close its doors and reopen as a sparkling new Whole Foods Market.
Sitting on an axis of JP?s main drag where the neighborhood?s growing affluence meets a stretch of bodegas, restaurants, and hair salons once thought of as Boston?s Latin Quarter, the Hi-Lo is a hub of the Latino community. Men sit on milk crates speaking in Spanish while shoppers pick among crowded aisles of dried chiles and tropical produce.
But in recent years, the neighborhood has been getting richer and whiter. The percentage of households making more than $75,000 a year has nearly doubled since the 2000 census, as the proportion of Latino and Hispanic residents has declined from almost 28 percent to about 20 percent.
The arrival of the nation?s best known and often the priciest purveyor of organic foods was seen all over the neighborhood this week as a sign of an inexorable shift.
?There is a symbolic effect that is profound right now,?? said state Representative Jeffrey Sanchez, who added that the soaring rents, high condo prices, and the closing of a neighborhood school that serves Latino children have forced many from the neighborhood. ?What I am hearing from people is, ?What happens to us as a community now?? ??
Along with worries, however, the announcement was also greeted with elation by residents who have longed for a high-quality market within easy walking distance.
?It?s complicated,?? said Robyn Farmer, who lives nearby. ?I like Hi-Lo, even though I didn?t shop there often. But I would love a Whole Foods.??
Yesterday, metal shelves once filled with yams, plantains, and everything from Puerto Rican cookies to dried chiles from Mexico and Peru, were sparse as the store sold off its stock. The store?s 45 employees said they face an uncertain future.
?Right now I feel better, but I spent the weekend crying,?? said head cashier Maria Chacon, who said the company?s president gathered the store?s department heads in the Hi-Lo meat room on Thursday to tell them the news. ?I?ve been here for 15 years. I met my husband here. . . . This is my second home. People here have been here for 30 years. This sucks that they have treated us this way.??
Whole Foods said it plans to employ 100 people from the community, though it remains unclear whether any of the Hi-Lo employees will be among them. The company said that, as is its practice, the new store will do some things to conform to the surrounding community and will stock a variety of good-quality products that meet its shoppers? needs.
?Whole Foods Market has been keenly interested in developing a Jamaica Plain location,?? Laura Derba, regional president of Whole Foods Market?s North Atlantic division, said in a statement. ?We are now eager to become active members of such a strong, diverse neighborhood and to open a store that is reflective of that vibrant community.??
Stephen Knapp, the president of Knapp Foods Inc. of Newton, which owns Hi-Lo, said Whole Foods will be a positive addition to Jamaica Plain. He declined to describe the Latin market?s financial condition. He said the company?s decision to close the store was based on a management team with some members edging into their 70s.
?It came down to the age of the management team,?? said Knapp. ?We felt that this was a good time to look for a company that can carry on the mission of serving the community. We felt that this was a good fit.??
Across Jamaica Plain, news of the Whole Foods arrival stunned residents, causing many to wonder about the direction of the neighborhood. But even as the debate swirled, residents seemed perplexed or divided over the Whole Foods move.
Robbie Samuels, 36, wondered whether a Whole Foods would signal a change that he can live with.
?I came to JP because it was racially diverse, gay friendly, and it had culture,?? he said. ?The question is whether people value that.??
Newly elected Councilor Matt O?Malley said the Whole Foods situation is an anomaly because the owner of Hi-Lo is not shutting the store, simply renting it.
He said he plans to meet with Hi-Lo and Whole Foods officials soon to discuss how to retain the employees who have lost their jobs, as well as the Latin-American offerings at the new store.
?I want to make sure the cultural competency exists,?? said O?Malley. ?Hi-Lo has offered a strong product line of Latino foods, and I want to make sure that continues. But ultimately I think this might be a good thing for the neighborhood. We need a strong anchor store in Hyde Square.??
Along Centre Street yesterday, reaction was mixed. David Warner ? co-owner of City Feed and Supply, a small market with a sandwich counter ? worried about competing.
?This is going to be a big hit to our business,?? said Warner. ?Grocery sales is more than 50 percent of our revenue, and we can?t compete with Whole Foods.??
Mike St. Clair, the Cambridge-based general manager of Harvest Co-op, a small neighborhood grocery, said his company has weathered this storm before in Boston and Cambridge, and he is not worried that he will lose business.
?It?s not a threat,?? said St. Clair. ?We?ve been given these types of opportunities in the past, and we?ve survived them.??
Bodega owners welcomed the Whole Foods, saying the addition of a bigger store might drive up business in their corner stores.
?It?s vice versa,?? said Freddy Cabral, the long-time owner of Freddy?s Market. ?People who go there will look for special foods, and if they don?t have it, they will come here.??
But residents who walk or take the bus to shop at Hi-Lo say Whole Foods is far out of their price range, and many said they will have to travel to Hyde Park or Roxbury to get foods from their homelands.
?We won?t be able to afford to go there,?? said Ramona Gonzalez, pushing her grocery cart in the rain. ?I?m not being prejudiced or anything, but I think they just don?t want us Spanish people hanging around here.??
Maria Rodriguez, a longtime shopper, said she feels as though no one is considering the poorer Latinos who live in apartments or houses near the supermarket.
?They don?t take into consideration that this is a low-income community,?? she said.
But many in Hyde Square were left with a feeling of profound loss and struggled to make sense of it all.
?When the Hi-Lo goes,?? said Oscar Guerrero, ?the soul will be taken from the heart of this community.??
Meghan Irons can be reached at mirons@globe.com
Link
Posted by Metro Desk January 19, 2011 10:50 AM
By Globe Staff
Upscale organic food supermarket company Whole Foods today announced it will open an outlet in the diverse Jamaica Plain neighborhood, moving into the space now used by the Hi-Lo Foods on Centre Street.
?Whole Foods Market has been keenly interested in developing a Jamaica Plain location. We are now eager to become active members of such a strong, diverse neighborhood and to open a store that is reflective of the vibrant community,? Laura Derba, Whole Foods Market North Atlantic regional president, said in a statement.
The newest location, at 415 Centre St., will be the fourth Whole Foods Market in the Boston area, the company said.
Hi-Lo has been open at the location for decades. It was known for its stock of Latin American foods.
The company, which says it is the country's leading organic and natural food supermarket, said each of its stores is designed to fit the community where it's located. The Jamaica Plain Gazette reported last week that Hi-Lo was closing after 46 years.
"In keeping with the company?s mission, Whole Foods Market plans to source a wide variety of products that meet its strict quality standards as well as the diverse needs of their shoppers," the company said in a statement.
The building will undergo several months of renovations, the company said. Once opened, it will employ about 100 people. The company said it has a long-standing history of hiring people from the community and nurturing the careers of those it hires.
Link
----
A market goes upscale, as does Jamaica Plain itself
End of an era for Latino grocery
By Meghan E. Irons
Globe Staff / January 20, 2011
For Jamaica Plain?s eclectic mix of hipsters, affluent professionals, and working-class Latinos, there has been no starker symbol of transformation in their neighborhood than the one announced yesterday: The tumble-down Latino grocery Hi-Lo Foods will close its doors and reopen as a sparkling new Whole Foods Market.
Sitting on an axis of JP?s main drag where the neighborhood?s growing affluence meets a stretch of bodegas, restaurants, and hair salons once thought of as Boston?s Latin Quarter, the Hi-Lo is a hub of the Latino community. Men sit on milk crates speaking in Spanish while shoppers pick among crowded aisles of dried chiles and tropical produce.
But in recent years, the neighborhood has been getting richer and whiter. The percentage of households making more than $75,000 a year has nearly doubled since the 2000 census, as the proportion of Latino and Hispanic residents has declined from almost 28 percent to about 20 percent.
The arrival of the nation?s best known and often the priciest purveyor of organic foods was seen all over the neighborhood this week as a sign of an inexorable shift.
?There is a symbolic effect that is profound right now,?? said state Representative Jeffrey Sanchez, who added that the soaring rents, high condo prices, and the closing of a neighborhood school that serves Latino children have forced many from the neighborhood. ?What I am hearing from people is, ?What happens to us as a community now?? ??
Along with worries, however, the announcement was also greeted with elation by residents who have longed for a high-quality market within easy walking distance.
?It?s complicated,?? said Robyn Farmer, who lives nearby. ?I like Hi-Lo, even though I didn?t shop there often. But I would love a Whole Foods.??
Yesterday, metal shelves once filled with yams, plantains, and everything from Puerto Rican cookies to dried chiles from Mexico and Peru, were sparse as the store sold off its stock. The store?s 45 employees said they face an uncertain future.
?Right now I feel better, but I spent the weekend crying,?? said head cashier Maria Chacon, who said the company?s president gathered the store?s department heads in the Hi-Lo meat room on Thursday to tell them the news. ?I?ve been here for 15 years. I met my husband here. . . . This is my second home. People here have been here for 30 years. This sucks that they have treated us this way.??
Whole Foods said it plans to employ 100 people from the community, though it remains unclear whether any of the Hi-Lo employees will be among them. The company said that, as is its practice, the new store will do some things to conform to the surrounding community and will stock a variety of good-quality products that meet its shoppers? needs.
?Whole Foods Market has been keenly interested in developing a Jamaica Plain location,?? Laura Derba, regional president of Whole Foods Market?s North Atlantic division, said in a statement. ?We are now eager to become active members of such a strong, diverse neighborhood and to open a store that is reflective of that vibrant community.??
Stephen Knapp, the president of Knapp Foods Inc. of Newton, which owns Hi-Lo, said Whole Foods will be a positive addition to Jamaica Plain. He declined to describe the Latin market?s financial condition. He said the company?s decision to close the store was based on a management team with some members edging into their 70s.
?It came down to the age of the management team,?? said Knapp. ?We felt that this was a good time to look for a company that can carry on the mission of serving the community. We felt that this was a good fit.??
Across Jamaica Plain, news of the Whole Foods arrival stunned residents, causing many to wonder about the direction of the neighborhood. But even as the debate swirled, residents seemed perplexed or divided over the Whole Foods move.
Robbie Samuels, 36, wondered whether a Whole Foods would signal a change that he can live with.
?I came to JP because it was racially diverse, gay friendly, and it had culture,?? he said. ?The question is whether people value that.??
Newly elected Councilor Matt O?Malley said the Whole Foods situation is an anomaly because the owner of Hi-Lo is not shutting the store, simply renting it.
He said he plans to meet with Hi-Lo and Whole Foods officials soon to discuss how to retain the employees who have lost their jobs, as well as the Latin-American offerings at the new store.
?I want to make sure the cultural competency exists,?? said O?Malley. ?Hi-Lo has offered a strong product line of Latino foods, and I want to make sure that continues. But ultimately I think this might be a good thing for the neighborhood. We need a strong anchor store in Hyde Square.??
Along Centre Street yesterday, reaction was mixed. David Warner ? co-owner of City Feed and Supply, a small market with a sandwich counter ? worried about competing.
?This is going to be a big hit to our business,?? said Warner. ?Grocery sales is more than 50 percent of our revenue, and we can?t compete with Whole Foods.??
Mike St. Clair, the Cambridge-based general manager of Harvest Co-op, a small neighborhood grocery, said his company has weathered this storm before in Boston and Cambridge, and he is not worried that he will lose business.
?It?s not a threat,?? said St. Clair. ?We?ve been given these types of opportunities in the past, and we?ve survived them.??
Bodega owners welcomed the Whole Foods, saying the addition of a bigger store might drive up business in their corner stores.
?It?s vice versa,?? said Freddy Cabral, the long-time owner of Freddy?s Market. ?People who go there will look for special foods, and if they don?t have it, they will come here.??
But residents who walk or take the bus to shop at Hi-Lo say Whole Foods is far out of their price range, and many said they will have to travel to Hyde Park or Roxbury to get foods from their homelands.
?We won?t be able to afford to go there,?? said Ramona Gonzalez, pushing her grocery cart in the rain. ?I?m not being prejudiced or anything, but I think they just don?t want us Spanish people hanging around here.??
Maria Rodriguez, a longtime shopper, said she feels as though no one is considering the poorer Latinos who live in apartments or houses near the supermarket.
?They don?t take into consideration that this is a low-income community,?? she said.
But many in Hyde Square were left with a feeling of profound loss and struggled to make sense of it all.
?When the Hi-Lo goes,?? said Oscar Guerrero, ?the soul will be taken from the heart of this community.??
Meghan Irons can be reached at mirons@globe.com
Link
Ron Newman
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I don't understand the objection to the pub at One Boston Place. That whole stretch of Washington Street from Old South Meeting House up to the Old State House is riddled with vacancies on both sides of the street. Any major restaurant attraction there can only help the rest of the blocks.
Ron Newman
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Is this going in the extra first floor space that was recently added to One Boston Place? (If so, what was there before was ... nothing.)
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Yes, it is. I walked by it today. It fronts Court St (State).
Also, this isn't "just another Irish pub." This isn't going to be a destination on Faneuil Hall pub crawls. The company has made it clear about the atmosphere and behavior they desire. They're catering towards a different crowd. The interior photos are very telling. This place should pick up tourists on impulse and might become a destination for locals depending on their commitment to the arts.