I generally never use these stores. I have no reason to since the nearby Harris Teeter, Giant, etc. fulfill our grocery needs. But of all the businesses to take the place of the Toys R Us, the Food Star seems like the perfect -- if unusual -- choice. It's certainly preferable to a dollar store style chain, which seem to be the easiest and most common filler of vacant retail spaces of this size. And of course it's much better than the site sitting empty for years as the property becomes a blight -- a real concern for these type of retail properties. The Food Star serves a basic need for the local community. I lived near the old one on Columbia Pike in Arlington and never heard complaints about its quality or prices.
Great comment, thanks! You're exactly right that the much bigger concern is the property sitting vacant. Bringing in a high-end retailer just isn't an option in many cases. There's a serious oversupply of retail space, and finding a way to fill it is key (unless we redevelop it, but I noted why I think that's complicated.)
I'm sure this one is also a little larger than the one in Arlington, which I have not seen. But it's a perfectly serviceable medium-sized supermarket.
I generally never use these stores. I have no reason to since the nearby Harris Teeter, Giant, etc. fulfill our grocery needs. But of all the businesses to take the place of the Toys R Us, the Food Star seems like the perfect -- if unusual -- choice. It's certainly preferable to a dollar store style chain, which seem to be the easiest and most common filler of vacant retail spaces of this size. And of course it's much better than the site sitting empty for years as the property becomes a blight -- a real concern for these type of retail properties. The Food Star serves a basic need for the local community. I lived near the old one on Columbia Pike in Arlington and never heard complaints about its quality or prices.
Great comment, thanks! You're exactly right that the much bigger concern is the property sitting vacant. Bringing in a high-end retailer just isn't an option in many cases. There's a serious oversupply of retail space, and finding a way to fill it is key (unless we redevelop it, but I noted why I think that's complicated.)
I'm sure this one is also a little larger than the one in Arlington, which I have not seen. But it's a perfectly serviceable medium-sized supermarket.