Jerry Summers
The announcement on Friday, Nov. 11, that another multi-use Food City grocery store complex was going to be erected on the Carter Distributing property on the 13th block of Broad Street provides another opportunity to feed and provide for the homeless on the Southside.
This development should provide one more low-price outlet in any competitive price war with the recently completed Publix supermarket near the site of the popular razed Mount Vernon Restaurant location.
The continuing legal venture to help the starving citizens of the mountain town of Walden may also result in that municipality becoming a two meat and vegetable supply vicinity as well.
Prior to the big boys in the grocery world coming into Gig City as part of the booming expansion, the favorite food shopping locale for the poorer folks in our community was Buehler’s Market, 429 Market Street. (Famous for its pig knuckles and fragrant odors emanating from its gourmet site for the wealthy.)
The building had been at that location for over 100 years when it suddenly closed its doors in 2017 as the only grocery location on the now booming Southside.
The mystery of why the building that had become more of a luxury rather than a necessity locale for the low-income population became evident when the announcement surfaced that the brick building and adjoining parking lot had been sold for $1,450,000.00.
A representative of the community minded entity River City Company expressed that with the increase in population in the downtown area that a “grocery concept will come downtown in the next couple of years”.
That hope has become a multiple reality in 2022.
The only remaining questions are whether the elderly and needy shoppers that arrived on the free CARTA busses at Buehlers can afford the price of basic food staples at the new additional progressive revenues sources and Uber ride rates to get to the new grocery plus stores.
(Is there such a thing as “gentrification of a grocery store?”)
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You can reach Jerry Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)