Penn Quarter Bodega (Grocery) Launches New Website & Crowdfunding Campaign

So Bodega is going to be a mobile cart, then? Initially? I predict this is where it will stop, as commercial space is already through the roof in the Penn Qtr, but just wait another year or two. There’s a reason Balducci’s, Trader Joe’s, and others have not created a neighborhood grocery here. The economics simply don’t work for an industry with with razor margins. Nice thought, but it’ll never happen beyond a cart.

This would be great for the neighborhood, but I’d like to see a more specific business plan before I’d consider contributing. A few of the many questions that I’d have: Do they plan to cater solely to residents, or also to office workers? Do they see themselves as direct competitors of the nearby Safeway (and the soon to be nearby Wal-Mart, which has been expanding into organic and similar type groceries)? Are they targeting shoppers looking for a full range of groceries, or are they looking to carve a niche out in mid-week necessities like produce, milk and bread? Will they lose a significant amount of business to the farmer’s market on 8th St from spring through fall?

Thing is, the Safeway isn’t actually “nearby”, and the Walmart will be much less so. I can’t get to the Safeway without a car, plus the service is legendarily bad. I go there maybe a couple of times a year and rely on Peapod and the farmers’ market for my daily food needs. I love the farmers’ market, but I would save money being able to buy produce every couple of days because if I overbuy stuff goes bad, and if I underbuy we have to eat out. I I can’t WAIT for the Bodega! Hurry, June!

@Anonymous 3:09 – it’s not planned to be a cart. it’s planned to be a truck from what I can see, much like the food trucks that have done very well for themselves selling food on DC’s streets. there’s a big difference in capacity between a cart and a truck. there’s even a fashion retailer that has a mobile format (truck, if you will) called The Styleliner.

As the Bodega’s founder, I especially appreciate the support and the interest, and even the questions and challenges. You can always contact me through the website and I make it a point to respond within a couple of days.

I have also had the opportunity to meet almost 200 residents face-to-face so far. Planning for this to be a successful business in the neighborhood has been my sole job for a year now. The business will cater to residents and office workers – what is fascinating is that office workers often have an experience similar to ours when they go home to their own neighborhoods of having to travel 15-30 minutes one way to get their own needs met. Things like prepared lunches and dinners will appeal to both sets of clientelle and office workers will have the convenience of grabbing some of their own staples before heading home.

It is a full range grocery. We are a completely different type of store than a Safeway or Wal-Mart. We are not in direct, but maybe some indirect competition with them, but we are not really competing for the same type of client at all, nor with the same products, operations, or service models and they truly are not nearby to the heart of the neighborhood and the residents and workers we intend to service. There will always be some people who prefer to shop there and that’s fine.

We are specifically working with select farmers from the PQ market and other markets to help them move more food. The Bodega allows them to sell 7 days a week and our partnerships include things like farmers using Thursday and other market days as delivery days to us to increase their efficiency. This will increase our local farmers’ sales and give the neighborhood consistent, daily access to quality food. The demand for food in PQ is much higher than the market meets in it’s 4 hour span.

There are very real, specific reasons that other grocers have not located here and thus our gap and existing inconvience for the over 9,000 people who live in a half mile radius. That Balducci’s invested in coming here should show the potential for success. Their company’s decision is an internal one and does not relate to my business model, in fact it has only informed my planning in ways like a smaller footprint. Many grocers, especially the larger companys, have pretty firm corporate policies for minimum square footage and minimum parking and we can easily deduce how that has led to no stores here. The truck is a really fun component that helps us solve the problem here (at least partially) a lot faster. The Sytleliner is a great example, though our design will be much different.

I really do appreciate the questions. I have answers and I am dedicated to bringing us quality and convenience.

How do they do it in Logan/U St. So Well? Even though they have the Whole Foods at 14th & P, within blocks of each other they have at least 3 other markets selling locally sourced foods (and Peregrine Espresso, where you can get a correctly made Cappuccino):

14th & R – Cork Market:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/video?clipId=7118732&autostart=true

14th & V – The Amish Store:
http://newcolumbiaheights.blogspot.com/2012/01/checking-out-smucker-farms-new-amish.html

14th & V – Yes! Organic Market:
http://www.yesorganicmarket.com/retailer/store_templates/shell_id_1.asp?storeID=626D898C04BE4BDF91F7DE5E80E4133D