A full service grocery store with an emphasis on ethnic foods, the installation will fill a gap that has long been flagged in around the core.
In a release on his blog, the Mayor stated:
The long awaited, and much anticipated, downtown core grocery store is about to become a reality in Jackson Square. I was delighted to receive notice of the signing of the deal that will bring an exciting new full service supermarket operation to augment the Farmer’s Market and other food specialty shops in the area.
There have been a number of such proposals over the past year, and we may well see others established downtown. From my perspective as Mayor, this is great news beyond just the provision of a much needed service to residents and workers in our downtown. Decisions like this are not made lightly. Our downtown has passed a major test in terms of this investment because we have overcome the detriments of the past such as insufficient customer base, lack of consumer purchasing power, and perceptions of insecurity.
New residential units are being built at several locations; average income has been increasing along with jobs and currently we have about 23,000 people working in the core; and Chief Decaire’s policing initiatives including the Action Team have made residents feel more comfortable visiting our downtown. I live downtown, and most of us who do, will tell you that it is not unsafe or uncomfortable. In fact, this past Hallowe’en we had 150 children stop at our house for treats. They’ll soon have another store to shop for those treats and all their grocery needs. My thanks to our new business owners for showing confidence in Hamilton and giving us what I’m sure residents will discover an exciting new food shopping experience.
Are you pleased to hear this news? Your thoughts?
Great news; good to hear; good idea.
ReplyDeleteJust having spent the past four days attending a convention at the Waterfront BIA in Toronto (Westin Harbour Castle), I was starting to feel just a wee bit jealous. So many people! Condo families, kids in strollers, dog-walkers. And there was a two story grocery store like the one described here.
The grocery store proves that investors will find a way to invest, in spite of anything else. As shown on The Hamiltonian, noone on city council was able to express a compelling interpretation of what out city's vision really means. Most councillors decided not to even reply, which will not serve them well in the elections.
ReplyDeleteSo, because there is no context or vision set by council, anything goes. Jackson square has become a flea market like atmosphere. It's gone from greatness to what it now is. So, put in a grocery store, a motorcycle dealership, a place to trade stamps, a pawn broker kingdom, tattoo shop, consignment stores, dollar stores, - anything goes.
Sorce
There used to be a Barn between Bay and Caroline Sts. Lets hope this one lasts!
ReplyDeleteMaybe in time Hamilton borrows a page from Toronto and Copps Coliseum gets transformed into something like they've done here in Toronto with Maple Leaf Gardens. Gardens bought by Loblaws and turned into a grocery store on the main level. Upper level, Ryerson University athletic centre with an ice rink. Maybe do the same for Copps in partnership with Mcmaster University and Mohawk College down the road? who knows?
ReplyDeleteThis is a subject I've written about on My Stoney Creek and elsewhere. In fact, this winter, I was able to prompt dialogue amongst some 'thinkers' in Hamilton that resulted in Ryan McGreal of 'Raise the Hammer' getting this piece in The Spec. Yes, there was a Barn at Hess and York. Yes, there was a Dominions in the basement of Terminal Towers. And yes, there was a Loblaws at King and Ferguson. So it's not like we haven't had a grocery store in the downtown-core before. Which is why I wanted to explore people's takes on the idea. I was astounded at how much resistance there was to the 'need' on the part of certain councillors...as well as what was felt was 'best' by certain members of the community. 'God, don't let a 'Whole Foods' in!' So I'm heartened by this development. It's an underused location of the mall (I used to live on Market, worked in Jackson Square, so I have vivid memories of that section when it was at its best...so it'll be great to see it revitalized by way of a supermarket. And there's still a possibility of getting a co-op going downtown...so we may yet have turned the corner.
ReplyDeleteAll we need is shuffle board, maybe come scuttle ball using the sloped incline hallways in the square, and some more dollar stores and the whole circus like mall will reach its ill fated spiral downwards. Maybe we should rename it Circus Square
DeleteSorce
Good news for downtown residents, who have another food source to get what they need. Good news for taxpayers, as no incentives were needed. This is what happens when local councilors get out of the way, and let economic development staff do their jobs. Hopefully this is a trend.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that there will be a grocery store downtown. I'm glad to hear that it will create much needed jobs.
ReplyDelete"Nations will be roughly comparable to Fortino’s in terms of pricing."
That in itself tells me already that I will not be shopping there since I do not have enough money to shop at Fortinos. And many of the downtown core residents also do not have that kind of money to shop at Fortinos. so this new grocery store is coming in for the people who work at City Hall, the many banks, investment firms...... because it certainly will not be for those of us who do not even come near reaching the poverty line.
Frankly, I find this reaction quite saddening. For many reasons. First off, it raises the question of either 'living wage' or poverty. Secondly, it ignores the cost involved in establishing any sort of retail effort; the catchment area currently has two 'discount' retailers on large chunks of cheap land, Food Basics and No Frills. It would simply be impossible (or at least 'unreasonable' to expect even mega-chains like Loblaws, Inc (No Frills) or Metro (Food Basics) to invest the kind of coin necessary just to provide an off-price option within Jackson Square.
DeleteBut more than this, the connotation of an 'expensive' food option ignores the realities of this part of the city's future. Jackson Square is about to celebrate their 40th anniversary this week. I think it's pretty safe to assume that they'd love to recapture the status (which means profile of retailer and profile of shopper) they enjoyed for a nice run there from opening in '72 until, let's say, the turn of the decades between '80 and '90. This means that a 'discount' retailer is almost assuredly not what they'd be pining for.
But more than this, is the impending shift in the downtown-core from James Street, east, specifically from Hughson to Mary, Wilson to King William. This part of Hamilton is ripe for development, probably the biggest asset we own of purely undeveloped land. (So I'm excluding the reinvention of 'Bartonville' from Wellington to Sherman, or beyond.) Google the words 'the Real Crux Downtown-core' for a better insight into this, but here's my point: when the downtown-core (the above, plus the long-abandoned stretch of King from James to Catherine) is developed, who do you think most of the development will be focused on, given that any effort will be wanting to make the most of the downtown as it currently is, and what it might be, discretionary income-wise? Though there undoubtedly will be a 'mix' of tenants, it would be naîve to believe that the mass of development will be on the sector of the market that 'can't afford to shop at Fortino's'. (Here's a faint indicator: The Film Lofts.) Retailers are in business to do the best they are able by keying on a market and applying effort at a choice location. Which is why both mega-chains have an assortment of stores ranging from bottom-dollar discount to premium retail; something for everyone, depending on the locale.
For a less corporate approach to groceries, perhaps it might be heartening to read about what 'The Mustard Seed' grocery store co-op effort is up to.
Excellent idea especially in the winter..I hate walking to the other grocery store on Main Street E. or at Barton & Mary during a blizzard.
ReplyDeleteSo are these jobs to be minimum wage jobs that do not offer full time hours, opposed to living wage jobs, how about benefits?
ReplyDeleteCurrnetly the psuh for living wage jobs is aimed at city jobs who are not getting a living wage currently.
How does this help those in our community who are experiencing food insecurity? I would like to hear more about the food co-op.